28 May 2006 REMEMBERED by his Mom amab323@yahoo.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall Fire Support Bases NEVILLE and RUSSELL were west of Cam Lo, with NEVILLE the westernmost of the two. In late February 1969, NEVILLE was occupied by Golf Btry 3/12 with Hotel Company, 2/4 as a security force. Five miles to the east, FSB RUSSELL had Hotel and Mortar Btries, 3/12, and elements of 2/4 as a security force - primarily Echo 2/4, but also elements of H&S Company. In the early morning hours of 25 Feb 1969 both bases were hit hard by NVA sappers - about 200 from the 246th NVA Regiment at NEVILLE and an equal number from the 27th NVA Regiment at RUSSELL. In each case the attacks began with heavy mortar fire and supporting artillery fire from within the DMZ, followed by a ground attack clearly intended to destroy the artillery pieces in their gun pits. In each case the enemy partially overran the base, and in each case the Marines drove them out again. When the sun rose, the Marines had over three dozen dead and 100+ wounded, while there were 61 enemy bodies inside the two perimeters - but the guns had sustained no serious damage and were firing. The 27 Americans killed at FSB NEVILLE were H Btry, 3rd Bn, 12th Marines LCpl Kenneth R. Gilliam, Lexington, KY LCpl Norman W. Kellum, Corpus Christi, TX LCpl Donald R. Lewis, Maysville, KY Pfc Marion W. Lyons, Brentwood, AR Pfc James D. Peschel, Boulder, CO LCpl Gerald Przybylinski, Buchanan, MI Pfc David L. Rutgers, Marshalltown, IA LCpl Larry J. Sikorski, Fairmount, ND Mortar Btry, 3rd Bn, 12th Marines HM2 Kenneth Davis, Zanesville, OH E Co, 2nd Bn, 4th Marines 2ndLt William H. Hunt, Merritt Island, FL (Silver Star) Cpl Tommy N. Miller, Bethalto, IL LCpl James D. Logan, Flint, MI LCpl Bruce A. Saunders, Roanoke, VA Pfc Robert A. Coffey, Greensburg, KY Pfc Michael L. Jenkins, Covington, VA Pfc Randolph R. Ramsey, Williamsfield, OH Pfc Allen M. Sharp, Covington, KY H&S Co, 2nd Bn, 4th Marines Pfc Robert H. Brogan, Cincinnati, OH Pfc Odell Dickens, Whitakers, NC Pfc Douglas B. Forsberg, Minneapolis, MN Pfc Juan Gaston, New York, NY Pfc Robert A. McCarthy, Alden, NY Pfc Norman R. Surprenant, Plainfield, CT Pfc Robert H. Trail, Baltimore, MD Pfc James E. Tucker, Miami, FL HN Donald K. Walsh, East Lyme, CT Pfc George W. Weldy, Amarillo, TX There were 14 dead Marines at FSB RUSSELL - 11 infantrymen from 2/4 and 3 artillerymen from 3/12.

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