I have two very close friends whose names are on that wall
My dad spent some time over there while he was in the Marines. Here’s him posing for a photo. He was a radar operator so no combat involvement, just logistics for Rolling Thunder (and smoking the funny grass they had).
If he's still around, thank him for his service. A fellow I knew while in AIT went to Vietnam and didn't return. While his "base" was under attack, he and another guy hid under one of the hooches in which they lived, and the hooch caught on fire. He was deathly afraid of fire, so he got out and ran and was shot and killed.
He passed away last May. He was sent to FOBs to map out bombing runs, said he only saw 1 Cong and he was dead beside a road he was going down. Joked that they’d have rocket attacks and while the grunts were running for rifles him and his buddies were looking for cameras. 22 years in the Corp though.
Sorry to hear that he has passed.
Several high school friend's names on that wall as well as my BIL that was killed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base.
