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Old 02-27-2003, 10:50 AM
VIETNAM 1968 VIETNAM 1968 is offline
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Default Looking for Marines that served in the 3rd Military Police Battalion/September 1968

After first placing this entry entitled "Why Vietnam still haunts me to this day" into the Vietnam section of this very fine forum; I then received a response from MORTARDUDE on 2/22/2003. In part of his response, he urged me to republish the entry in the Marine section, in the hopes that Marines reading it would be able to help me with my search for information. I then did so a couple of days ago, but the entry aparently was lost during a Computer Glitch that occured. I am now resubmitting the entry, still hoping that someone will be able to help me find the information I am seeking.




I would like to tell a story about two young guys that grew up in Woburn, Massachusetts during the late fifties and early sixties. It is a story that most of my Vietnam Veteran Brothers and Sisters can relate to due to their own Tour Of Duty in Vietnam. As such, I am going to tell it, not to drag up any long buried thoughts, but to ultimately request help from others that may have additional information I so desperately wish to aquire.

While growing up, I had a very good friend that I spent a lot of time with. We were always together and were more like Brothers then good friends. When I was not at his house, he was at mine. In fact, most people always saw us together and did have the mistaken belief that we were actually Brothers. We had the same interests and enjoyed working on old cars, (which we never seemed to get running), dating the same Girls, and even worked together at the same Grocery Store after school. We attended the same High School but I graduated a year before he did. I graduated in 1965 from Woburn High School. Neither of us had plans to attend College, so we both knew that we would probably be Drafted within months of our High School graduation.

My notice to report for a Pre Induction Physical arrived during the Spring of 1966 and I knew that I would probably be Drafted in the next few months. My Buddy made the decision to enter the Military right out of High School, rather then wait for the Draft to catch up with him. We then talked about which branch of the service we would enlist in, as neither of us wanted to be Drafted into the Army. We also talked over joining the same branch of the service together, under a Buddy System, and going through Boot Camp together, as well as possibly being assigned to the same duty stations.

My Buddy had his heart set on the Navy and I wanted to join the Air Force however. Each could not make the other change his mind, so we then went our separate ways. I entered the Air Force in May of 1966, and learned to refuel aircraft. My Buddy joined the Navy in August 1966, and learned to save lives by becomming a Hospital Corpsman. We constantly kept in contact with each other however, by letters.

My Buddy received orders for Vietnam first and reported to the 3rd Military Police Battalion, H&S Company (Medical Department), Third Marines, during the Fall of 1967. I received my Vietnam Orders and then reported to the 12th Supply Squadron (Fuels Section) at Cam Ranh Bay in January 1968. We continued to keep in contact, by letters, and even made arrangements to go on R&R together to Sidney, Australia. A problem developed however, and we could not go during the same week because my Buddy had been In Country several months longer then I had been. My paperwork was not approved due to the fact that I had not been in Vietnam long enough.

When I returned from R&R, in September 1968, I then immediately wrote my Buddy to compare our experiences while in Sidney. Several weeks went by and I did not receive a return letter from him. I did not think much of it, at the time however, as I just figured that my Buddy was in the Field and could not write.

Towards the end of September 1968 I then received a letter from my Mother. She informed me that my Buddy had been seriously wounded towards the end of August, and had then died of his wounds on September 7, 1968 which was just two days short of his twentiety birthday. (September 9, 1948). To say that my entire world collapsed, when I read that letter, was an understatement.

I later learned the circumstances of how my Buddy died. His unit came under intense small arms fire one night just South of Danang Airbase. Several Marines were wounded and the call then went out for Corpsmen to help the wounded. In an effort to reach two wounded Marines, that were lying close to a pocket of NVA, my Buddy then tried to cross an open field in an attempt to reach them. He was then struck by fragments from an exploding Hand Grenade. His wounds were serious, at that time, but not fatal.

My Buddy fell close to an open crater, where he could have taken cover and attended to his own wounds. He chose not to do so however, and then crawled to where the two wounded Marines were lying. Upon reaching them, he then used his own body as a shield to protect the Marines from incomming small arms fire being directed at them, and then began administering First Aid. My Buddy continued to help the wounded Marines even though he was also struck by repeated small arms fire across the lower torso area. In spite of his new wounds, he still continued to administer First Aid to the Marines, while protecting them from further wounds by taking the full impact of the incomming fire himself.

My Buddy continued to treat the Marines until he passed out from lack of Blood. When he was found, he was still draped over the two Marines. He was then evacuated to the Hospital Ship "Sanctuary" where he lived for several more days before dying. For his actions, my Buddy was then Posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. My Buddy is now buried in the Woodbrook Cemetary, in Woburn Massachusetts, next to two other casualties of the Vietnam War. Ironically, those other two casualties were also High School Classmates of my Buddy, and they also graduated in 1966.

My Buddy's name is HM3 Alan R. Gerrish and his name now appears on Panel 45West, last name on the right hand side of the column, about four or five rows up from the bottom on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It has been almost thirty-five years now since Alan died and I still mourn his loss every day. To me, the Vietnam War will not be over until I am also dead, and I can again pick up that friendship, I still cherish so, from the point that Alan's life was cut so tragically short. I truely lost the Best Buddy any guy could ever hope to have.

During these past thirty-five years, I have been trying to locate others that might have served with Alan, knew Alan, or were involved in the same Firefight that cost him his life. To this point, I have not had much luck but did uncover one Marine that served with Alan in the 3rd Military Police Battalion. the Marine did not participate in the Firefight however and I am still trying to determine the names of the two Marines that Alan was treating, as well as knowing if they survived the Firefight or not. If any of you, now reading this entry, could help me with my search, I would be eternally greatful.

I will end this entry now, the same way I will end all entries into this fine forum: By wishing all my Vietnam Veteran Brothers and Sisters: WELCOME HOME:

VIETNAM 1968
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