12 Jun 2008 Richard my cousin whom I never knew, but will NEVER forget! When the Wall was in Bath, New York, I helped organize a pack to go and see it. My Mother (God rest her) told me to look for Richard. OK, who is Richard? Well I have spent quite some time finding out who he is. I now know he was born 18 Oct. 1948. I know that Uncle Paul was not his biological father, but raised him and Richard made sure that the adoption was final before he went into the service, in case something happened, which it did shortly after his arrival in Vietnam. I know he wanted to come home and help on the family farm. I know family was very important to him. My Aunt Manie died not knowing what happened to her first-born. My Uncle Paul is 86 years old and will probably die not knowing what happened to his son. I know that he probably died in the jungles of South Vietnam and whatever is left after 41 years is still on that jungle floor, most likely all grown over and long forgotten by most. I will never forget and won't let others forget those who laid down their lives for our freedom! Stephanie Booth dolphinmy13@yahoo.com Richard's brother Dan also served in the Marines.

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall In late July 1967, the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, undertook a battalion-sized reconnaissance in force into the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Vietnam. The Marines' target was a North Vietnamese Army division which had set up housekeeping within and immediately south of the DMZ - and on 29 July the Marines found the enemy at Thon Cam Son, some 5 kilometers north-northwest of Con Thien. The resulting fight inflicted hundreds of casualties on the NVA, but not without cost: 33 Marines died in the fighting: C Co, 3rd Antitank Bn - 3 dead C Co, 3rd Eng Bn - 3 dead A Co, 3rd Tank Bn - 1 dead E Co, 2nd Bn, 9th Marines - 9 dead F Co, 2nd Bn, 9th Marines - 6 dead G Co, 2nd Bn, 9th Marines - 5 dead H Co, 2nd Bn, 9th Marines - 3 dead H&S Co, 2nd Bn, 9th Marines - 3 dead Golf 2/9's five casualties were LCpl Phillip Jacob, Toledo, OH LCpl Richard H. Johnson, Wolcott, NY LCpl Larry V. Kinard, Philadelphia, PA LCpl Anthony M. Leach, Lynwood, WA Pfc Steven H. Bennefeld, Girard, KS When Golf 2/9 was forced to withdraw under heavy pressure they brought their wounded out but had to leave their dead behind. When the Marines in turn forced the NVA to abandon the battlefield the bodies of two Marines known to have been killed could not be found - Lance Corporal Johnson and Pfc Bennefeld. Their remains have never been recovered.

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