THE WALL OF FACES

Dear Lt Michael Thomas, Thank you for your service as a Basic Infantry Officer. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Independence Day just passed. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it still needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

Hill 881 North was one of several hill masses north of the Khe Sanh Combat Base (KSCB) in northwest Quang Tri Province. To prevent North Vietnamese Army observation of KSCB and the possible use as of the peaks as firebases, the hills surrounding Khe Sanh Valley had to be continuously occupied and defended by Marine elements. On January 20, 1968, I Company, 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines, 3rd Marine Division conducted a reconnaissance-in-force off Hill 881S towards Hill 881N. Departing at 5:00 AM, the company moved in two parallel columns 500 yards apart, 1st Platoon on the left followed by 2nd Platoon, and 3rd Platoon with six Recon Marines on the right. At 9:00 AM, the Marines crossed the narrow valley floor and began the climb up Hill 881N. During Company I's ascent, the enemy opened fire, forcing 3rd Platoon to the ground. The other column surged forward on the left in an attempt to flank the North Vietnamese but was almost immediately stopped by heavy fire causing several casualties. With artillery support falling, 3rd Platoon charged to the crest of Hill 881N, led by 2LT Thomas D. Brindley who was cut down by a sniper’s bullet. The 3rd Platoon was joined on the hill by 2nd Platoon only to find numerous Marines missing from the initial assault. Some had fallen wounded during the attack while others had pursued the fleeing enemy. 2LT Michael H. Thomas organized a rescue effort, recovering six wounded Marines under murderous enemy fire. Thomas was wounded carrying out the sixth man and refused evacuation while continuing to search for other missing men. He was killed during these efforts. While I Company fought at close quarters, Marines on Hill 881S poured recoilless rifle and mortar fire into the North Vietnamese on Hill 881N. Refused reinforcements, I Company was ordered to break contact and return to Hill 881S. Air strikes and artillery covered their withdrawal as they backed down the face of Hill 881N. They arrived at Hill 881S at 6:00 PM. The company lost five killed and thirty-five wounded. The lost personnel included: (from I/3/26) Brindley, Thomas, and PFC James A. Collins; and (from B Co, 3rd Recon Bn) CPL Charles W. Bryan and PFC Paul M. Beddoe Jr. Bryan, Brindley, and Thomas were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, and Collins was posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal. North Vietnamese dead were estimated at one hundred. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and “U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Defining Year, 1968” by Shulimson]

Michael Howard Thomas
Date of birth: January 6, 1943
Date of death: January 20, 1968
Home of record: Pawnee Oklahoma
Status: KIA

AWARDS AND CITATIONS

Navy Cross

Awarded for actions during the Vietnam War

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant Michael Howard Thomas (MCSN: 0-102330), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company I, Third Battalion, Twenty-Sixth Marines, THIRD Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in connection with operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam on 20 January 1968. While leading his men in a coordinated attack with an adjacent platoon along a parallel ridge line in the vicinity of Hill 881 South, Lieutenant Thomas' platoon was taken under intense enemy automatic weapons fire from an estimated battalion-sized enemy force. The hostile fire wounded several Marines. As a medical evacuation helicopter endeavored to land to extract the wounded, it was taken under intense enemy machine-gun fire and crashed. Quickly assessing the situation, Lieutenant Thomas organized a rescue team and accompanied his men to the crash site to supervise rescue operations. Learning that the adjacent platoon was pinned down by enemy fire and that the platoon commander and others were wounded, he maneuvered his unit through the intense enemy fire across 500 meters of open terrain to reinforce the beleaguered platoon. Consolidating his force, he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire as he moved from one position to another encouraging and directing his men's fire. Discovering that eight men were missing, he organized and personally led a search party into the fire swept area, successfully locating five of the wounded and moved them to positions of relative safety. Although wounded as he was carrying a sixth Marine to safety, he refused medical assistance and elected to continue his rescue efforts. Despite his painful wound and near exhaustion, he again moved into the hazardous area in an attempt to rescue the two remaining casualties who were lying in a dangerously exposed area, when he was mortally wounded. By his bold initiative, gallant fighting spirit and loyal devotion to duty, Lieutenant Thomas was instrumental in saving several Marines from further injury or possible death, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

General Orders: Authority: Navy Department Board of Decorations and Medals

Action Date: January 20, 1968

Service: Marine Corps

Rank: Second Lieutenant

Company: Company I

Battalion: 3d Battalion

Regiment: 26th Marines

Division: 3d Marine Division (Rein.) FMF

To Mike and all Marines who served with him, "All gave some and some gave all." Mike was a friend, fraternity brother and fellow Marine. There is no deeper brotherhood. Thank you for your service and sacrifice to our country and Corps.

In two days it will have been 49 years since I last saw you live, and die. You lived well, as the leader of Marines. You were a leader in every sense of the word. You led by literal example--.from the front, when you did not have to. I have done my best to emulate your gift as a natural leader. I hope I haven't disappointed you.

You died well, as a United States Marine, leading Marines in intense combat.

This country is deeply indebted to you, and I am proud to have served under your command.

I will never forget you, Mike Thomas. And I will never forget what you told me on that fateful day as we set out to Hill 881 North before sunrise that day. It won't be long now.

Semper Fi