View Single Post
  #13  
Old 06-22-2005, 10:36 AM
MontanaKid MontanaKid is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 209
Default Lamar Plain

My battalion, 1/46 Inf, Americal, started lacing in a dog tag in the boot when we were op-con to the 101st during operation Lamar Plain. We were told the 101st did it. It made sense. We recovered 12 bodies that were left to the elements for eight days in May 1969.

Some men don't like wearing things around their neck and not all the bodies had dog tags for ready identification in the field. They were all eventually I.D'd at Graves through dental records anyway. But in the field, I was charged with putting Field Medical Tags on each bag and some wound up marked "UNK." because there were no dog tags or other ID on them.

The enemy had rifled everyone's pockets so there were no wallets with IDs in them. Tags in the boots would have helped, though I assume Graves would have done the process of matching dental records anyway for positive ID. The bodies were decomposed beyond all recognition.
__________________
"No one has greater love than this; to lay down one's life for one's friends.". John 15:13
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote