THE WALL OF FACES

Mark showed club calves in 4H with my sister. My dad , Gene was friends with Marks father. I was younger than Mark and looked up to him. I appreciate his as well as the families sacrifice.

Fair Winds and Following Seas Brother

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. The remembrances from your brother Bobby are poignant. As long as you are remembered you will always be with us...

GMG3 Marcus E. Cline was a Gunners Mate 3rd Class assigned to the river patrol boat PBR-723 from Riverine Squadron 5 (RIVRON 5), Task Force 116, U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam. On the early morning of June 24, 1968, PBR-723 was at anchor in the middle of the Upper My Tho River, two miles south of Cai Be in Dinh Tuong Province, RVN, conducting a nighttime Water Borne Guard Post reconnaissance. GMG3 Cline and another sailor were acting as listening lookout observers on the bow of the PBR for any enemy activity. Unbeknownst to the PBR crew, a Mobile Riverine Forces YLLC-5 Salvage Boat was in transit down the river. The Salvage Boat did not see PBR-723 anchored in the middle of the river, and collided with the vessel, causing a glancing blow collision to the port side. At the time of the collision, Cline was out of his gun mount sitting on the forward portside bow's cowling just aft of the gun mount. The impact caused Cline to hit his head on the starboard bow of YLLC-5, knocking him overboard into the river, where he drowned. The other sailor on watch was also knocked overboard on the starboard side. He was immediately recovered from the river. The Salvage Boat did not slow down, change course, or render any assistance, and kept on traveling down the river at full speed. The area's nighttime PBR patrols immediately commenced searching for Cline but were unable to locate him. His body was retrieved from the river during that afternoon by a River Section patrol boat PBR-731. After retrieving and identifying Cline's body, they departed the area to return him to the berthing and messing barge YRBM-18 for transportation to Saigon. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and “Memorial for GMG3 Marcus E. Cline” at ttu.edu]

Today is your birthday and you would have been 71 today. I still mourn and cry when I think of you. I know you wouldn't want me to be sad, but I can never get over you not being here. You had such a hard brief life. I pray to our Heavenly Father that you are at peace. Happy Birthday Mark
Love,
Bobby