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Leslie David Matchett
Specialist Four
A TRP, 1ST SQDN, 1ST CAVALRY, AMERICAL DIV, USARV Army of the United States Kokomo, Indiana July 16, 1946 to January 19, 1968 LESLIE D MATCHETT is on the Wall at Panel 34E, Line 79 |
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It was Christmas, 1966, at Bunker Hill Air Force Base, now known as Grissom Air Base, that my best friend, Leslie David Matchett, better known as Dave "Fat Rabbit" Matchett, Bob "The Beak" Knebis, and I sat having a beer, home on leave and too young to drink off base. I was in the Navy, and Dave and Bob were in the Army. Dave had gotten his orders for Vietnam just before Christmas leave. Unbeknownst to me, I wouldn't be far behind him. However, things were much safer aboard the largest Cruiser in the world, as opposed to a track in-country. Dave insisted that he knew that he wasn't going to come back from Vietnam. I told him that he was just being paranoid, and that he'd be OK. That was the last time I saw my buddy alive. I'm proud that you were my friend, and I'll never forget you, Dave.
Doug Lambert |
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I remember Dave from the first platoon of Alpha Troop. He was the mortar squad section leader. I was the platoon medic assigned from HQ Trp. Dave was having problems with his mortar tube and accuracy. It was discovered the tube was not within specs and a new tube was ordered and he had set it up in his track. It is a little ironic I checked on Dave and his driver Rodgers (killed w/ Dave) as a short time ago I went through my slides and looked at pictures of his track after it was brought back to camp after the explosion that day.
From a unit buddy, |
A Note from The Virtual WallThe two men from A Troop, 1/1st Cavalry, killed on 19 Jan 1968 were SP4 Leslie D. Matchett and PFC John A. Rogers of Chattanooga, Tennessee. |
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