THE WALL OF FACES

Say not in grief he is no more, but live in thankfulness that he was.

Petty Officer Third Class Robert Wayne Wood, Served with the Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, Third Marine Amphibious Force. He was assigned to Company H, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, When He was Killed in Action.

Dear PO3C Robert Wood, Thank you for your service as a Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class with the 3rd Marines, Semper Fi, Thank you for the lives you saved. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Yesterday was Happy Valentine's Day. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance, and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

Semper Fi, Doc

During July 20–26, 1967, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines conducted Operation Bear Chain, a mission to engage the Viet Cong 806th Battalion in the "Street Without Joy" area, east of Route 1 between Quang Tr? and Hue in Thua Thien Province, RVN. On the second day of the operation, Hotel Company, 2/3, while on a search and clear operation, received small arms and automatic weapons fire while moving through a dry rice paddy near Huong Dien. The Marines suffered several killed and wounded in the attack. A medivac helicopter called to remove the casualties was driven off by heavy small arms fire. As enemy fire increased on the Marine position, close air support, artillery, and Naval gunfire was placed on the enemy’s location. The supporting fire allowed Medivac aircraft to again enter the area and lift out some of the wounded personnel. The helicopters received hits but were able to return the casualties to the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LPH-10). A later helicopter that was conducting an emergency resupply for the besieged Marines also came under fire while leaving the landing zone and was forced down into the 2/3 Command Post area. A total of four Marines and two Navy corpsmen were killed in the engagement; seventeen others were wounded. The lost Marines included PFC Joe Lewis, PFC Le Roy C. Radtke Jr., LCPL Carl E. Ryder, and LCPL Gene A. White; the lost Navy personnel were HN John W. Rivers and HM3 Robert W. Wood. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and U.S. Marines Battalion Landing Team 2/3 Marine Helicopter Squadron Medium 265 daily reports for Operation Bear Chain]