OT: Modelhawk's annual Memorial Day Remembrance

Bill Woodier · 2004-05-29T19:38:06+00:00

Below is my annual Memorial Day tribute to my fallen Marine buddies. Many haveseen it in previous years; to those I apologize for the redundency but it issomenting I must do in an attempt to keep their memories alive. I will beinvolved on pre-Memorial Day and some WW-II Memorial dedication relatedactivities tomorrow so thought I'd post this a day early. ............................. I Remember..............................I remember PFC Arthur Willie Green (14-E-56), KIA 20 Jan 67. Our recon teamwas on a hilltop, calling in an artillery mission on a Battalion of NVA movingthrough the valley below. A "short round" from the Marine artillery battery atAn Hoa landed right inside the team perimeter. Willie was standing, lookingthrough the binoculars into the valley at the time and was split from sternumto pelvis; killed instantly by the exploding 105mm round. The entire team waswounded. Lt Eric Barnes (17-E-41) and SSgt Godfried Blankenship (17-E-48) were both hitwithin minutes of each other on 26 Mar 67. Barnes, leading a recon patrol thatcame upon a group of thatched hootches, moved forward to check them out. As heapproached, he was hit by intense automatic weapons fire from the NVAoccupants. SSgt Blankenship, the Platoon Sgt, moved forward to Lt Barnes?side and was, himself, hit. Both bled profusely and finally bled to death onthe chopper en-route 1st Med Bn at Danang. I also remember PFC Michael Ray Smith (19-E-113). Mike and I went to ReconSchool together several months earlier. He was on patrol with another team on13 May 67 moving in low brush on the side of some worthless little hill in theHiep Duc Valley. A Company of NVA ambushed the team and Mike took two AK-47rounds in the back and one in the chest. He died in the dirt waiting for thedust-off. When I close my eyes, I can still picture PFC Erwin Lovell (19-E-120). He'dbeen badly burned in a fire as a child and bore terrible scars over his entireupper body. He went through Marine...

May 29, 2004 21 Replies

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Maiesm72 22 years ago

Bill

I hope that you don't mind, but I downloaded your words and gave them to a couple of vet friends.

Did anyone else see 60 Minutes Sunday night? Andy Rooney commented on the contribution of veterans and reminded people just what Veteran's Day is really about.

They then ran the photos of every American military casualty in Iraq to date accompanied by some striking music. After a minute I realised that this was not meant to watch while sitting down. By the end I have to admit feeling a little more than moved.

I know that there are political ramifications about this piece of broadcast journalism and that there are some pretty vocal opponents in the higher levels of government. Screw 'em. That was one superb piece honoring our latest war dead.

Tom

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