THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. While all deaths in Vietnam are tragic that you died on your 20th birthday is especially so. May you rest in eternal peace.

Dear Sp4 Richard Turbitt, Thank you for your service as an Infantryman. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Labor Day is soon. 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 went to school and was in AFJROTC with Dwayne Turbitt. I never knew he lost his brother Richard in Vietnam. My brother Ron Connelly(WTHS Class of '65) was there: '67-'68' in the 9th Infantry Division and was wounded. He later was killed in an accident in Libertyville, Illinois in 1973. I still have my brother's combat letters and I wrote down the names of the guys in his unit that were killed. So sad to lose such great guys....our brothers, fathers and sons.

Operation Delaware was a joint military action of troops from the U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). The mission was to move into the A Shau Valley in Thua Thien Province, RVN, to dislodge North Vietnamese Army (NVA) forces there since March 1966 after overrunning an isolated U.S. Special Forces camp. The A Shau Valley, west of the coastal city of Hue along the border of Laos, was a vital corridor for moving military supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and used by the NVA as a staging area for numerous attacks in northern I Corps. The operation began on April 19, 1968, after preparatory B-52 and tactical bombing of NVA anti-aircraft and troop positions. The operation required a radio relay site so the engaged brigades could communicate with Camp Evans near the coast or with approaching aircraft. Midway up the eastern side of the valley was a perfect spot: the 4,878-foot Dong Re Lao Mountain. The 1st Cavalry Division's headquarters dubbed it "Signal Hill." A 30-man long-range reconnaissance patrol (LRRP, or "Lurp") from Company E, 52nd Infantry (LRP) rappelled by helicopter onto Signal Hill, followed by other members of Company E with signalmen and engineers. The insertion and clearing work had not gone unnoticed, and soon NVA elements moved toward the hill, precipitating a two-day battle with the Americans. Eleven U.S. were killed or seriously wounded including three Lurps: SGT William G. Lambert, PFC Robert J. Noto, and SP4 Richard J. Turbitt Jr.; also lost was PFC James F. Mac Manus from B Company, 8th Engineer Battalion. The LRRPs held Signal Hill for close to three weeks, providing a vital fire support base and radio relay site. Their action saved American lives and helped ensure the success of Operation Delaware by allowing coordinated air and ground attacks, timely artillery strikes, and air rescue of wounded infantrymen and downed aircrews. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org]

SPC Richard J. Turbitt Jr. is buried in Section, block 64, lot 23, grave 6 of the Ascension Catholic Cemetery in Libertyville, IL.

Your sacrifice is not forgotten.