Alaska XIV

I've been to Alaska a couple of times for various reasons, but the changes in their memorial situation is a gratifying story. Check out the original posts concerning this here and here. 

As I have been doing lately, today I want to honor a few of the those lost from Alaska. These KIAs are from the Anchorage memorial.

Thomas Barr

Sp5 Thomas Barr was a Company Clerk. Read more about his heroism below.

 

LZ Baldy was an Americal Division fire support base located northwest of Chu Lai in Quang Nam Province, RVN. LZ Baldy was the field headquarters for the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division. It was heavily defended with 105mm and 155mm artillery, 106mm recoilless rifles, and numerous sandbagged perimeter bunkers. Around the compound, row upon row of barbed wire were infused with dozens of claymore mines. This massive defensive wall was supposed to keep the Americans at Baldy secure. Nevertheless, an attempt to overrun LZ Baldy occurred on May 12, 1969. There were three separate assaults beginning about 9:00 PM by local Viet Cong supported by a well-equipped North Vietnamese Regular Army reinforced-battalion. Twenty Viet Cong sappers were successful in penetrating the perimeter, many of whom reached the top of the mountain where the 523rd Signal Battalion’s VHF operations were located. Several of the Battalion’s personnel had to defend their radio operation which they were able to keep on the air all night. Elsewhere on the base, five Americans died keeping the attackers at bay. SP5 Thomas M. Barr, a company clerk, was killed by an enemy rocket which impacted behind him as he was lugging mortar rounds to the perimeter bunkers in need of more ammunition. Two members of the artillery battery, CWO Homer P. Kendrick and SP5 David A. Lefler, died in a friendly-fire incident when their bunker was hit by an errant rocket fired from a supporting American gunship. Several others were also wounded in the blast. And SGT Arthur E. Scott and SP4 Wendell A. Weston were killed after suffering fragmentation wounds from enemy rockets or mortars. Another 24 U.S. personnel were wounded during the assault. Two days later the Battalion chaplain went to LZ Baldy and held a small memorial service for the fallen defenders. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and information provided by Bill Phillips (January 2019)Courtesy of Bill Phillips)

 

Richard G. Bauer

Sp5 Richard Bauer was a passenger on a chopper that was lost in a storm in 1969. 4 years later local tribesman discover the wreckage and reported it to the right people. Bauer's Mother could not believe that her son had actually been located and only after forensic proof removed all doubt was she able to accept this most terrible of Mother's nightmares.

 Gary Edwin Bullock

Sp4 Gary Bullock is the first KIA I have come across with my exact rank and MOS. I, too. was a "watercraft operator" for the Army in Vietnam.

Other than that there is very little information available about what happened to him. I saw one mention in a report that said "bunker collapse" on a off shore site. Nothing more. 

Ironically, I had a buddy from Alaska who was, also, a boat operator. I wonder how many from Alaska could have been the same?

Next time, on October 4th, we will return to Arizona, to honor others so worthy of our admiration and never ending respect. Join me there, at 9:00 am., as always.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group.

Next time, on October 4th, we will return to Arizona, to honor others so worthy of our admiration and never ending respect. Join me there, at 9:00 am., as always.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group.