THE WALL OF FACES

Remember to save for them a place inside of you, and save one backward glance when you are leaving, for the places they can no longer go...

Dear Lt Clifford Welding, Thank you for your service as an Armored Reconnaissance Unit Commander - Pilot. Your 54th anniversary just passed, sad. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Advent has begun. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance, and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

I had the honor to say your name during the 40th anniversary commemoration of the Wall. May you rest in peace.

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."

On November 21, 1968, a U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A (tail number 67-16355) from B Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry, was on a visual reconnaissance mission in Binh Thuan Province, RVN, when it was hit by a Viet Cong rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and crashed and burned. Both crewmen, pilot 1LT Clifford K. Welding and observer SGT Stanley N. Green, were fatally injured in the incident. The following is a personal account of the shoot down by Joe Shepherd: Cliff Welding and SGT Green were flying my wing that day. We were covered by two (AH-1 attack helicopter) Cobras and were following a fresh trail from an overnight contact into the foothills. We caught a group of 8-10 Viet Cong on the trail. Cliff and I both engaged with mini-guns and fire from our observers. We dropped smoke and the Cobras rolled in as we moved off to the west. After making several passes, the Cobra lead called us back for a BDA (bomb-damage assessment). Cliff's mini-gun had stopped working so he led back into the area and I followed to cover him. As we neared the smoke from the Cobra's rockets, we received small arms fire. Then Cliff's aircraft was hit by an RPG. It went down immediately. I tried to land but could not because of small arms fire. I could see that Cliff was still in the burning aircraft and that SGT Green was out, but that he was burned very bad. I stayed on station until the Blues (infantry) arrived and confirmed that Cliff was KIA and SGT Green was medevacked. (Green died the same day.) [Taken from vhpa.org and info provided by Joe Shepherd at the same website]

Dear 1LT Clifford Kay Welding, 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