THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. It use specially tragic you died so close to the end of your tour. As long as you are remembered you will never truly die.

Corporal Stephen Harris Allison, Served with Company M, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Third Marine Amphibious Force.

Shared a few beers at the e-club on hill55 the night before he was killed. The ambush he was taking out the night he was killed was to be his last. He was getting a job in the rear since he was so short, around 30 days left.

On the evening of October 20, 1969, Third Platoon form Mike Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, were in a night ambush position four miles northeast of Dai Loc in Quang Nam Province, RVN. At approximately 9:25 PM, while checking the positions in the ambush site, one of the Marines tripped a SFD (surprise firing device, i.e. booby-trap). Three Marines were killed in the blast and another eight were wounded, two critically. The lost Marines were CPL Stephen H. Allison, PFC Dennis W. Kipp, and LCPL Joe N. Watson. It was reported that the SFD was three 105mm artillery “firecracker” rounds wired together in a daisy chain. All casualties were medivacked. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org]

DEAR CORPORAL ALLISON,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AS A MARINE GRUNT.
REST IN PEACE AND SEMPER FI.