THE WALL OF FACES

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

As long as you are remembered you will never die...

I went through all training with Roy. We were separated in the Nam. He and I went on our 1st weekend leave to Disneyland but spent most of the time catching up on sleep.. I heard through the grapevine he had been killed. I was davistated to say the least. I was wounded on Dec.17 and then retired. I've thought of him all my life.

Private First Class Roy Gene Alvis, Served with the 3rd Platoon, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Third Marine Amphibious Force.

On November 12, 1966, a reinforced platoon of Marines from I Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, were settled into night positions around the hamlet of An Trach (1), two miles north of Hill 55 in Quang Nam Province, RVN. Fourteen bunkers ringed the small village, each one with a Marine on alert while the others slept. An Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) platoon assisted the Marines in defending An Trach (1). Around midnight, an ambush patrol of 10-12 Marines returned in the pouring rain, bringing the total number of Marines and ARVN in the village to around 80. An Trach (1) was considered to be in a passive area where a measure of loyalty had been gained from the peasants through security, economic, and social programs provided by the Americans. However, at approximately 1:30 AM, some 35-50 Viet Cong were able to infiltrate the hamlet through the northeast portion of the perimeter. They wore only shorts and many had baskets tied to their sides to hold explosive charges. They used these to attack the Marine positions, lobbing grenades, satchel charges, and C4 charges into the bunkers. Fourteen Marines and one Navy corpsman were killed in the attack. Another twenty-eight U.S. personnel were wounded. The Marines were able to kill three of their attackers (confirmed by body count) and reported another seven probable killed. The lost Marines were PFC Daniel Acosta, PFC Roy G. Alvis, CPL Eduardo Ayala, LCPL Thomas E. Birdsall, PFC Ted D. Broomfield, LCPL James P. Brown, PFC Roger J. Bryant, LCPL Larry D. DeFilippis, LCPL John A. McGrath, LCPL Charles E. Meek, PFC David H. Paulsen, CPL Raymond L. Powell, LCPL Alan H. Shields, and CPL Daniel D. Yarnell; the lost Navyman was HM3 Manuel Avila Jr. The dead were collected and carried in ponchos on wooden stretchers and placed on the porch of the church in the center of the hamlet. The wounded were carried by truck to NSA Hospital in Da Nang. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and information provided by Jerry E. Brown (September 2019); also from “Marine Platoon Hit Hard.” Pacific Stars & Stripes, November 15, 1966, and the book “The Huts” by William E. Dowell]

Mr Alvis. It is an Honor to be able to say that I am PROUD to be related to a TRUE HERO.