THE WALL OF FACES

Never forgotten.

Semper Fi, Marine

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. The remembrance from your brother Mike is especially poignant. As long as you are remembered you will remain in our hearts forever....

Semper Fi, Marine

On the remembrance of your 70th birthday, your sacrifice is not forgotten.

Forever 18.

Semper Fi, Marine.

Fire Support Bases Neville and Russell were U.S. Marine Corps bases west of Cam Lo in Quang Tri Province, RVN, with Neville the westernmost of the two. In late February 1969, Neville was occupied by Golf Battery 3/12 with Hotel Company, 2/4 as a security force. Five miles to the east, FSB Russell had Hotel and Mortar Battery, 3/12, and elements of 2/4 as a security force, primarily Echo 2/4, but also elements of H&S Company. In the early morning hours of February 25, 1969, both bases were hit hard by NVA sappers—about 200 from the 246th NVA Regiment at Neville, and an equal number from the 27th NVA Regiment at Russell. In each case, the attacks began with heavy mortar fire and supporting artillery fire from within the DMZ, followed by a ground attack clearly intended to destroy the artillery pieces in their gun pits. In both instances, the enemy partially overran the base, and in each case the Marines drove them out again. When the sun rose, the Marines had over three dozen dead and 100+ wounded, while there were 61 enemy bodies inside the two perimeters, but the guns sustained no serious damage and were firing. The 13 Americans killed at FSB Neville were HM2 Walter P. Seel Jr. (posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal), CPL Jeffrey M. Barron (Silver Star), LCPL Thomas H. McGrath, (Silver Star), CPL Gerald D. Zawadzki, LCPL Steven V. Garcia, PFC Raymond L. Flint, PFC Walter L. Lamarr, PFC Samuel C. Macon, PFC David A. Mallory, PFC Royce E. Roe, PFC Carey W. Smith, PFC Willie F. Smith, and PFC Michael L. Zappia. There were 27 Marines and 3 Navy corpsmen killed at FSB Russell; 18 were infantrymen from 2/4, and 9 were artillerymen from 3/12. The three Navymen included HM3 John M. Sullivan, HM2 Kenneth Davis, and HN Donald K. Walsh. The lost Marines were PFC Robert H. Brogan, PFC Robert A. Coffey, PFC Odell Dickens, PFC Douglas B. Forsberg, PFC Juan Gaston, LCPL Kenneth R. Gilliam, PVT Michael A. Harvey, 2LT William H. Hunt, PFC Michael L. Jenkins, LCPL Norman W. Kellum, LCPL Donald R. Lewis, LCPL Larry W. Liss, LCPL James D. Logan, PFC Robert A. McCarthy, CPL Tommy N. Miller, PFC James D. Peschel, LCPL Gerald Przybylinski, PFC Randolph R. Ramsey, PFC David L. Rutgers, LCPL Bruce A Saunders, PFC Allen M. Sharp, LCPL Larry J. Sikorski, PFC Norman R. Surprenant, PFC Robert H. Trail III, PFC James E. Tucker, and PFC George W. Weldy Jr. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and virtualwall.org]