A Man Of His Word

[frisco-kid]

Awhile back Steve Plummer posted that he and a buddy were going to visit The Wall in D.C.. At that time I asked him if he would visit the troopers named in my Memorial Day post "Fallen Eagles." These were men in my company that were KIA during my tour. Steve, being the good man that we all know him to be, said he would. He did, and here's the picture that he sent me of part of his visit. The reflection in it is of Steve and his buddy. He said this was the only picture that caught their reflections that day. I like to think my Brother Screaming Eagles knew why they were there and were interacting with them.

This is panel 13E. It holds the names of 10 troopers from my company. The first one, Jarel Ayers, was killed in an ambush from a hill somewhere around Kontum on 31DEC66. We pulled back and secured an LZ to get Ayers' body out, along with 2 WIA. The next day [New Year's Day] we went up the hill that we were ambushed from, deternined to kick some NVA ass for the day before. We have running gunfights with them all day, but never really close with them. We see a couple blood trails, but it's not much of a return for spending a rainy day fighting our way up-hill. Or for the loss of one of our own. We're told to spend the night on the hill. We're wet to the bone, dog tired, and just know it's going to be one of those cold-assed Central Highlands nights.

I pull a turn on perimeter guard and it was mostly the chattering of my teeth that kept me awake. It hasn't stopped drizzling and I'm miserable cold. When I get back inside the perimeter, I crawl in between 3 other guys that are laying down together for warmth. On the far left is a trooper who'se name is long lost to me. Next to him is Walter Goshorn, then me, and Will Kohr on the other end.

It seems like I have barely gotten to sleep when all Hell breaks loose. It's about 3:00AM and Charlie has come back for his freakin' hill. As soon as I wake up from the gunfire and explosions, I roll over with my 16 in a prone position trying to figure out what's going on. At the same moment Goshorn sits up and is immediately shot in the throat. He's dead before he tips over onto me. Kohr has jumped up and is shot in both legs. He lays there and bleeds to death. Some hand flares have been popped and the whole place is lit up in an eerie light because of the misty rain that continues to fall. Someone yells that they're inside the perimeter, and sure enough I see NVA running around shooting some of us. I drop one not 8ft. away from me. I see another one come through the perimeter and I kill him. A trooper moves up to block the hole as he drops another one. The shooting inside the perimeter dies down, but they start lighting us up with RPG's. Jaysus, I hate RPG's! Because of the weather we can't get any gunships in, but a flare ship shows up keeping the area bathed in an eerie light and shadows dancing all around us. Jaysus I'm scared.

Just before daylight they break contact. By the time the sun has come up my company has 7 KIA and 18-20 WIA; most of them in my platoon. I can't believe I'm still standing. Besides Goshorn and Kohr, the other paratroopers to die that morning are 1st Lt. Larry Earls, our CO; Elmer Juckett; Dennis Nicola; John O'Brien, a buddy of mine from OR; and Norman Vincent.

The 9th name on the panel is Reinaldo Delgado. He was killed 3 days later, 5JAN67.

The 10th trooper on this panel is Robert Barton. His name isn't in the picture. He died 9JAN67 of malaria. The only soldier I knew to die of it.

They are all together again on Panel 13E. Thanks for saying "Hey" to them Steve.