thedrifter
05-01-07, 06:56 AM
Marines' deaths on battlefield in Vietnam marked with sorrow
Web Posted: 05/01/2007 12:37 AM CDT
Scott Huddleston
Express-News
Joe Cordileone remembers April 30, 1967, being the worst day of his life.
At 19, as he headed up Hill 881 South that Sunday morning, he'd never seen a dead body before.
By the end of the day, he and other members of Mike Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, saw many of their friends killed in battle, unable to defend themselves against a well-camouflaged enemy.
"It was a rude awakening," said Cordileone, of San Diego, Calif. "I saw way more than I wanted to that day. But at the same time, I made a connection that day with a bunch of guys, and those connections have stayed the same for the past 40 years.
"I love those guys."
With heavy hearts and a few tears, Cordileone and more than 100 others, including about 40 who had fought on the hill, gathered Monday morning at San Antonio's Vietnam Veterans Memorial to mark the 40th anniversary of one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.
At the approximate time the shooting began, they laid a wreath at the foot of the monument, which depicts a scene from the battle — a radioman kneeling by a wounded Marine.
Others at the ceremony in front of Municipal Auditorium included Donald Hossack, the radioman, now residing in Montana; and Austin Deuel, a former Marine combat artist, now of Arizona, who created the monument.
The fighting at Hill 881 South, a strategically coveted site near a combat base at Khe Sanh in South Vietnam, would go on for months. But the horrific visions of that day have lingered with the men who were ambushed by the North Vietnamese.
As the Marines with Mike Company climbed the steep hill, they saw Marines who'd been dead for days, said Jim Henry, now 61. Of the 14 in his squad, 11 were killed or wounded.
"It was terrible," said Henry, of St. Cloud, Minn. "Just as we got to the crest, then they hit us in a U-shaped ambush."
As happened to other companies that day, the new M-16s Mike Company was carrying repeatedly jammed.
José F. Martinez of San Antonio had a cleaning rod to clear his rifle. But others were completely vulnerable.
"That's something I'll never forget," Martinez said. "Those were the worst losses our company had while I was there."
What was meant to be an hour-long ceremony was cut to about 10 minutes as a cloudburst turned into a heavy downpour. But the veterans and family members of three Marines killed that day got to hear a few words of gratitude from a young Marine.
Maj. Humberto Rodriguez with the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion in San Antonio said Americans have learned to appreciate troops serving today in the Middle East, rather than shunning them, like during the Vietnam era.
"Everyone talks about that era," he said. "Because of what you've been through, it's turned around 180 (degrees). I personally want to thank you for that."
Minutes later, the storm began and the crowd ran for cover by the AT&T building. To end the ceremony, the veterans sang the Marine Corps Hymn, accompanied by the wind and rain:
"If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines."
Henry said he felt a sense of healing, despite the weather.
"To me, this is part of closure of what we went through," he said. "Part of the closure is paying respect to the comrades who died on that hill. It's good."
shuddleston@express-news.net
Ellie
Web Posted: 05/01/2007 12:37 AM CDT
Scott Huddleston
Express-News
Joe Cordileone remembers April 30, 1967, being the worst day of his life.
At 19, as he headed up Hill 881 South that Sunday morning, he'd never seen a dead body before.
By the end of the day, he and other members of Mike Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, saw many of their friends killed in battle, unable to defend themselves against a well-camouflaged enemy.
"It was a rude awakening," said Cordileone, of San Diego, Calif. "I saw way more than I wanted to that day. But at the same time, I made a connection that day with a bunch of guys, and those connections have stayed the same for the past 40 years.
"I love those guys."
With heavy hearts and a few tears, Cordileone and more than 100 others, including about 40 who had fought on the hill, gathered Monday morning at San Antonio's Vietnam Veterans Memorial to mark the 40th anniversary of one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.
At the approximate time the shooting began, they laid a wreath at the foot of the monument, which depicts a scene from the battle — a radioman kneeling by a wounded Marine.
Others at the ceremony in front of Municipal Auditorium included Donald Hossack, the radioman, now residing in Montana; and Austin Deuel, a former Marine combat artist, now of Arizona, who created the monument.
The fighting at Hill 881 South, a strategically coveted site near a combat base at Khe Sanh in South Vietnam, would go on for months. But the horrific visions of that day have lingered with the men who were ambushed by the North Vietnamese.
As the Marines with Mike Company climbed the steep hill, they saw Marines who'd been dead for days, said Jim Henry, now 61. Of the 14 in his squad, 11 were killed or wounded.
"It was terrible," said Henry, of St. Cloud, Minn. "Just as we got to the crest, then they hit us in a U-shaped ambush."
As happened to other companies that day, the new M-16s Mike Company was carrying repeatedly jammed.
José F. Martinez of San Antonio had a cleaning rod to clear his rifle. But others were completely vulnerable.
"That's something I'll never forget," Martinez said. "Those were the worst losses our company had while I was there."
What was meant to be an hour-long ceremony was cut to about 10 minutes as a cloudburst turned into a heavy downpour. But the veterans and family members of three Marines killed that day got to hear a few words of gratitude from a young Marine.
Maj. Humberto Rodriguez with the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion in San Antonio said Americans have learned to appreciate troops serving today in the Middle East, rather than shunning them, like during the Vietnam era.
"Everyone talks about that era," he said. "Because of what you've been through, it's turned around 180 (degrees). I personally want to thank you for that."
Minutes later, the storm began and the crowd ran for cover by the AT&T building. To end the ceremony, the veterans sang the Marine Corps Hymn, accompanied by the wind and rain:
"If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines."
Henry said he felt a sense of healing, despite the weather.
"To me, this is part of closure of what we went through," he said. "Part of the closure is paying respect to the comrades who died on that hill. It's good."
shuddleston@express-news.net
Ellie