THE WALL OF FACES

Semper Fidelis, Marine (once one, always one).

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. We should be forever thankful for the sacrifices of you and so many others to ensure the freedoms we so often take for granted.

Soldier Dies in Viet Nam Month Before Retirement - - COVENTRY (Special) - A Staff Sergeant due for army retirement next month was killed Feb. 18 in Viet Nam combat, the Defense Department reports.

Staff Sgt. Walter A. Terlecki, 35, son of Alexander Terlecki of Pucker Street, died of gunshot wounds in action near Saigon, the defense department said.

A marine for 14 years, Terlecki was a three-time Purple Heart recipient for wounds suffered in the Korean War.

After a short time out of uniform, he had reenlisted in the army for a six-year hitch and was to have retired in March. He had volunteered for Viet Nam duty.

The Staff Sergeant had received a leg wound Jan. 20 and had returned to action with the wound not fully healed, his family reported.

In Viet Nam he was stationed at An Khe with the First Battalion, Fifth Cavalry, First Cavalry Division (Airborne).

Terlecki's death was wired to his ex-wife Carole, by the Defense Department Monday night. The couple was divorced.

The four children, Wendy, 10, Cindy, 9, Walter Jr., 7, and Timothy, 5, live with Mrs. Terlecki in Columbia.

Terlecki also leaves three sisters, Mrs. Violet Mattison and Mrs. Claire Vernon of Willimantic, and a brother, Edward A. Terlecki of Willimantic.

The Defense Department said Terlecki's body would be returned to the United States for a military funeral.

(The Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, Connecticut, 23 Feb 1966, Wednesday, Page 59)

Dear Sgt Walter Terlecki, Thank you for your service as an Infantryman with the 1st Cavalry. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Monday was Independence Day. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it still needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

I am Walter Terlecki's daughter, born in May 1956 in Jacksonville, NC. I now live in CT and have tried numerous times to locate both of you. I was 10 when my father was killed in Vietnam. Please contact me at [email protected]. Thank you, Wendy Ann Terlecki Dowling