THE WALL OF FACES

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions and spends himself in a great worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end triumph of high achievement and, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while caring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold, timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt

Dear PFC Thomas Vontor, Thank you for your service as an Infantryman. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. It is Columbus Day weekend. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

The Battle of Minh Thanh Road (Highway 245) took place on July 9, 1966, when a Viet Cong force attacked a 1st Infantry Division convoy triggering a prepared U.S. response in which an overwhelming reaction of armor, artillery, and airpower responded to the ambushed convoy. The Viet Cong, primarily armed with RPG-2 rocket-propelled grenades, recoilless rifles, and small arms, had engaged and destroyed some vehicles in a convoy but were prevented from overwhelming the convoy. The convoy, designated Task Force Dragoon, comprising Company B, 1/2nd Infantry and Troops B and C 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, left An Loc at 7:00 AM. As the procession moved onto the Minh Thanh Road, air and artillery strikes were put into likely ambush sites. At 11:00 AM, the lead units from Troop C detected an L-shaped ambush along the road. Ten minutes later, the Viet Cong launched their ambush, attacking Troop C's 1st Platoon with automatic weapons, mortar, and recoilless rifle fire. U.S. tanks and M113s armored personnel carriers deployed to direct fire against the Viet Cong attack, soon followed by air, artillery and gunship strikes. Two platoons of Troop B were moved forward to support Troop C and engage the main body of the Viet Cong. By 12:30 PM, the Viet Cong were beginning to withdraw, and the 2/2nd Infantry and 1/18th Infantry were deployed further north in an attempt to block their escape. Most of the attacking forces, however, were able to evade the cordon as slow-moving infantry sweeps did not catch up to them. At 1:30 PM, aerial reconnaissance saw a large Viet Cong force regrouping northwest of the ambush site and 1/28th Infantry was deployed by helicopter to engage them. A two-hour long moving firefight took place before the Viet Cong withdrew. The 1/28th Infantry swept the area before setting up a night defensive position north of the Minh Thanh Road. At 4:00 PM, the 1/18th Infantry located a small Viet Cong unit, and following an artillery strike, overran their position, reportedly killing twelve Viet Cong. The Battle of Minh Thanh Road was considered a U.S. victory as it showed American forces responding to an effective ambush. Total U.S. casualties were 21 killed and 113 wounded, while initial reports claim Viet Cong losses were 238 killed (body count) with a further 300 believed to have been killed, their bodies removed by the enemy. Captured North Vietnamese Army documents acknowledged that the 272nd Regiment had "suffered heavy losses" due to its "unsatisfactory organization of its withdrawal from the battlefield". A total of 44 weapons were recovered, and 13 crew-served weapons were found. The lost Americans in the battle included SSG Ulysses Alford, PFC Frederick G. Atkinson, SP5 Stanley W. Baker, PFC Robert L. Barnes, SSG Hans K. Bretschneider, PFC Charles E. Clark, SSG Charles O. De Jean III, SP4 Emmett A. Dougans, SSG Robert F. Ferguson, SP4 James L. Graves, PFC Jesse E. Herrera, SGT Wallace Hyman, SGT Bobby King, PFC Robert W. Peck, SGT Elvin Price, PFC John Q. Quesenberry, PFC John W. Scott, SSG Robert N. Tetreault, SP4 Kenneth L. Vanlew, PFC Thomas J. Vontor, and SP4 Daniel L. Wilson. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and wikipedia.org]

Dear PFC Thomas Joseph Vontor, sir

As an American, I would like to thank you for your service and for your sacrifice made on behalf of our wonderful country. The youth of today could gain much by learning of heroes such as yourself, men and women whose courage and heart can never be questioned.

May God allow you to read this, and may He allow me to someday shake your hand when I get to Heaven to personally thank you. May he also allow my father to find you and shake your hand now to say thank you; for America, and for those who love you.

With respect, and the best salute a civilian can muster for you, Sir

Curt Carter

Thomas is buried at St Anns Cemetery, Phoenixville,PA.