Illinois XIX

I have spent some time over the years telling you about Havana, Illinois. It is unique as it is the only place I've been that has a store front with framed pictures of so many of the lost from the area. The last time I checked, the store was out of business and no one could tell me what happened to the guy who created the display or what had happened to the many photos.

You can see some of those pictures here.

Today, a few of the lost actually from the town of Havana.

James Azbell

Sp4 Azbell was lost on  February 23, 1969 at Dau Tieng. Below his his Silver Star Citation:

"The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Specialist Fourth Class James Allen Azbell (ASN: US-56591925), United States Army, for gallantry in action. Specialist Fourth Class Azbell distinguished himself by heroic actions on 23 February 1969, while serving as a radio-telephone operator with Company D, 65th Engineer Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, in the Republic of Vietnam. While Company D was established in the Dau Tieng Base Camp, the installation came under an intense attack from a numerically superior hostile force. During the initial contact, Company D sustained several casualties. Specialist Azbell immediately administered life saving first aid to several wounded men and evacuated them to a relatively secure position. When the insurgents overran and occupied one of the bunkers on the perimeter, Specialist Azbell, with complete disregard for his own safety, exposed himself to the holocaust of exploding projectiles as he assaulted the enemy held fortification. As Specialist Azbell placed devastating fire on the hostile forces, he was fatally wounded. His valorous actions were responsible for saving several lives and the eventual defeat of the hostile force. Specialist Azbell's personal bravery, aggressiveness, and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, the 25th Infantry Division, and the United States Army. General Orders: Headquarters, 25th Infantry Division, General Orders No. 2999 (March 10, 1969)"

CWO John Frederick

John Frederick was interned as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam after he was captured on December 7, 1965, and until he died in captivity on or about July 19, 1972. In his personnel file at NPRC, his Navy Cross citation is actually written as a Medal of Honor citation, indicating that he was originally submitted and considered for our Nation's highest award. His is one of the Marine Corps' most highly decorated Warrant Officers in history. His remains were recovered and returned on March 13, 1974.

Larry Ladd

Sp4 Larry Ladd was lost on June 19, 1970. He was lost in Cambodia setting up explosive defensive devices when attack by hostiles.

You may note that this is the second hero lost in that place we "never were..." that I have mentioned in the last couple of posts.

Next time, on December 7th. we will return to Indiana and additional faces to honor, so join me there, as usual  at 9:00 am. 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. 

Arkansas lX

I have not spent too much time in Arkansas and as a result have very few memorials in my files.

As I was searching for something interesting to share I cam across Michel Sublett's name. At first I, mistakenly, thought that perhaps I had stumbled across one of the eight nurses listed on The Wall. IN all my writings, now about 1150, this has never happened and I was a bit excited. After realizing my error, I felt it was only right and just to give Corporeal Sublett his well earned due.

Michel Kent Sublett

 

Cpl Michel Sublett was lost to small arms fire in a hostile action. 

He was from Searcy, Arkansas where this memorial honors him, his service and his heroism, forever. As it should. 

The following three are listed upon the same memorial as POWs. 

William Ward Smith

Cpt. William Smith was involved in a midair collision with a helicopter. A rescue was attempted but his remains could not be found. He is still considered MIA. He was lost on July 23, 1966 in the Quang Tri Province.

I read a report, but could not verify, that the pilot was rescued. 

Edd D. Taylor

LTJG Edd Taylor was on a rescue mission to find a sailor in the water when his aircraft was shot down. the sailor he was attempting to save was captured and spent eight years as a POW. He survived and returned home.

For 36 years he was listed as MIA. In march of 2020 remains were excavated in the La Son Province and on May24, 201 DNA lead to the identification of LTJG Taylor.

R.I.P. and Welcome Home, brother

Don Franklin Worley

SSGT Don Worley was lost on March 11th, 1968 in Laos (you know, that place we never were.) The story is recounted below in an account I found on line. I hope it is accurate.                                                                                        

"AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT TOOK PLACE AT LIMA 85 ON 11 MARCH 1968

LIMA 85
Laos, 11 March 1968


LIMA 85 was the name of a TSQ-81 radar and TACAN site located in the mountains of Laos about 12 miles west of the Laos / North Vietnam Border border.

The TSQ-81 radar was used to provide flight following and navigation assistance for US aircraft operating in Laos and North Vietnam; the TACAN was (and remains) a standard radio navigation aid.

At the time LIMA 85 was established, Laos was officially neutral under the 1962 Geneva Accords.

The North Vietnamese government simply ignored the 1962 agreement and effectively exercised military control over large parts of Laos adjacent to the North Viet Nam, South Viet Nam, and Cambodian borders.

The United States government officially observed Laotian neutrality while unofficially attempting to respond to Laotian government requests for assistance.

The 1962 Accords prevented any open U. S. military presence in Laos, so the men assigned to operate LIMA 85 couldn't be military - yet only military personnel were trained in TSC-81 operations.

The answer was both simple and sneaky: US Air Force personnel were officially assigned to the 1043rd Radar Evaluation Squadron, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington DC, temporarily released from active duty, and "employed" by Lockheed as civilians.

The TSQ-81, TACAN, generators, prefab buildings, and other necessary equipment was provided by the United States Air Force and the site established on a 5860 foot high mountain called Phou Pha Thi. The site was protected on three sides by sheer cliffs.

Once in operation, LIMA 85 developed into a real thorn in North Vietnam's side - the high-resolution TSQ-81 radar allowed precision bomb drops by aircraft otherwise incapable of effective night/bad weather ground attack, while the TACAN supported accurate aircraft navigation.

The site was protected by a combination of Thai "mercenaries" and Laotian tribesmen loyal to the government - a total force of about 1,000 irregular troops.

In January 1968 the North Vietnamese attempted to destroy LIMA 85 by air attack in one of the very rare air operations conducted outside their own borders, the Peoples' Army of Vietnam (PAVN) Air Force used AN-2 Colts to bomb and strafe the site. While the attack was unsuccessful, it clearly illustrates the importance placed on destroying LIMA 85.

(NOTE: The PAVN Air Force Museum in Hanoi reportedly has a highly visible, detailed representation of the attack complete with a mock-up of the mountain, model AN-2 Colts, photos of the aircrew, and the gun pod from one of the AN-2 Colts).

In February 1968 it became evident that the NVN government intended to conduct a massive ground operation directed at capturing and destroying LIMA 85.

Ten PAVN battalions were identified moving toward and establishing base camps at the foot of Pha Thi mountain. The US Ambassador to Laos was responsible for deciding when the Americans manning LIMA 85 would be withdrawn - unfortunately, he left the decision undone for one day too long.

On 11 March 1968 the ground attack began and ended - by day's end the PAVN troops had assaulted through the fourth side of the site, the only approach not blocked by sheer cliffs, and had overrun the site.

US rescue efforts were only partially successful as eleven Americans were lost when LIMA 85 fell into enemy hands, and a twelfth was lost when his A-1E SKYRAIDER was shot down.

As of 06 November 2002, none of the twelve US Air Force men lost at LIMA 85 have been repatriated.
 

(( Last updated on 06 Nov 2002 ))"    

Note: Since this was first published several of the men lost have been repatriated through the joint efforts of the United States government and the Vietnamese government. 

Next time, on October 14th, we will return to California, 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.

West Virginia XVIII

We will visit Morgantown HS in West Virginia again today and often until I can honor all of the men remembered here. As I have mentioned before, West Virginia lost more soldiers, per capita, then any other state and they deserve to be paid tribute.

It is unusual for a memorial to feature the pictures of all those honored and I would like to take advantage of the fact that Morgantown has opted to do just that.

This, of course, fits right into my sub-group: Faces of Remembrance.

So, as we head into a season of other distractions, take just a moment to remember these men and all the others whose families will experience another season without them.

R.I.P. brothers and sisters, you will live in our hearts forever.

Next time, on the 23rd, I will post some non-memorial pics to hopefully lighten the season (and to, once again, remind myself (and you) that I do other photography.

To see additional memorials from West Virginia, or any other state, please click on a state name on the left side of this page.

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks

Christmas 2022

So, last time I promised to try to get to DC to see the Christmas tree that is placed at the apex of The Wall each year and I am happy to say that I made it. It took several tries due to weather and sickness, but Steve and I finally made the trip on a beautiful sunny, cold afternoon.

I was pleased with the number of people that were visiting in the middle of the day. Not thousands or hundreds, but a steady stream.

The last time I was able to actually photograph the tree, it looked a little sad to me. This time that was not so. I asked the docent on duty if they just recycled ornaments etc. and she assured me that they do not. The ornaments are new.

Here is a view just as you enter the walkway to The Wall. Notice that Wreaths Across America has left many donated wreaths as they do across the nation.

A slightly closer view of visitors and the docent, in the yellow jacket.

A few of the patriotic ornaments.

In past years I have seen the tree decorated with many, many of these framed photos. This year, this was the only one I saw.

I wondered why. The only thing I could find was that the President made a rubbing of his name and gave it to the family. They were very honored and I suspect that, perhaps, that is why he is featured here.

And here, at last, is the tree in all its glory. 

I am very happy to have been able to get there this year and to be able to share it with you.

To all who celebrate, a very Merry Christmas! And, to those of other faiths, seasons greetings to all. Most peoples recognize some kind of celebration of the solstice and the returning of the light, so whatever your beliefs, I hope you find peace, joy, and renewal in this season.

I am experiencing major tech issues, we had a storm yesterday that shut down everything, no power etc. My system took a hit and it was quite an ordeal and learning experience to be able to get this posted today. Check back on the 30th to see if I have been able to get things anywhere near back to normal.

To see memorials from any state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.

Massachusetts XXXIII

It is interesting to me how the faces of our soldiers are depicted in memorials. As you know, if you have followed this site at all, I have spent considerable time sharing some of these with you.

Today, I have one, from Massachusetts, that is located in Dedham. The memorial, if memory serves me, is located in a cemetery and you can see the original post here.

These depictions, as we have seen, range from the most lifelike to the most simple, caricatures, if you will, that represent all as opposed to those that seem to be, but usually are not, actual people.

It is striking, even in these less human-like forms, how the artist is still able to capture the reality of how so many felt. In what is little more than a line drawing we can still feel the sadness, fatigue and resignation in this soldiers face.

We rarely see women depicted in our memorials except as nurses rendering aid to a fallen solder, next time, on the 23rd, we will see something just a little different, so join me then, as always, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from  Massachusetts, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page. 

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left.