THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. As long as you are remembered you will remain in our hearts forever...

Dau Tieng Base Camp was a U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base in the Dau Tieng District in Binh Duong Province, RVN. Established in October 1966, the camp was located thirty-six miles northwest of Tan Son Nhut Air Base and fourteen miles east of Tay Ninh between the Saigon River and the Michelin Rubber Plantation. The 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division was located at the base in the summer of 1968 when at 2:00 AM on July 4th the camp came under a rocket and mortar attack. The base received forty-two 107mm rocket rounds and over five hundred rounds of mixed 82mm and 60mm mortar rounds. This massive artillery assault was combined with two separate ground probes on two sectors against the base camp perimeter. These probes were met by bunker line personnel and reaction forces from the Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry and the Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 77th Artillery. In both cases, the ground probes were repulsed with the enemy breaching the perimeter in only one location on the western side of the camp. Six Americans were killed in the attack and fifty-five wounded. Four of the lost U.S. personnel were from Headquarters & Headquarters Battery (HHB), 2/77th Field Artillery. They included PFC Bradley D. Bowers, SP4 Marshall W. Fisher, SP4 Eugene L. Markwell, and SP4 Wilfredo P. Zamora. SP4 Wardell Smith, a supplyman with infantry experience from the 25th Supply & Transport Battalion, attempted to rescue the artillerymen when he was killed by a satchel charge explosion near their bunker. His remains were taken to Graves Registration where his friends arrived after the battle to pay homage. An impromptu wake occurred as they visited his body which had been left completely unmarked by the deadly blast. Smith was posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal for his actions. Also lost was SP4 Earl E. Faulkner from E Company, 65th Engineers. Material losses were twelve ¼-ton trucks, five 3/4-ton trucks, three 2½-ton trucks, three five-ton trucks, one armored personnel carrier, and six buildings damaged. Enemy losses were recorded at sixteen killed and an assortment of weapons and explosives captured. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and information provided by James L. May (January 2021)]

It is because of young men like you, that we are free to celebrate a day like today. So on this Independence Day, I just want to thank you once again for your service and your sacrifice. You are loved. You are missed. You are remembered always.

DEAR PFC BOWERS,
THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE AS A FIELD ARTILLERY BASIC. ARTILLERYMEN ARE SPECIAL TO ME. MONDAY WAS THE 42ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE MAYAQUEZ INCIDENT - THE LAST BIG BATTLE OF THE WAR BIG SIGH. IT HAS BEEN FAR TOO LONG FOR ALL OF YOU TO HAVE BEEN GONE. WE APPRECIATE ALL YOU HAVE DONE, AND YOUR SACRIFICE. WATCH OVER THE U.S.A., IT STILL NEEDS YOUR COURAGE. GOD BLESS YOU. MAY THE ANGELS BE AT YOUR SIDE. REST IN PEACE. YOU ARE ALL IN OUR PRAYERS.

I went to Oklahoma Military Academy with Brad. We were in the band and on the wrestling team together. He was great guy with a strong presence. He hated to lose a wrestling match and was not afraid to show his passion. I remember when I heard the news he was killed in action. July 4, 1968, I had just graduated from OMA and had put my uniform up... but me and some of Brad's friends put them back on and were pall bearers at his funeral. Thank you Brad - for your friendship and your service to our country.