Hometown: East Alton, IL
Years of Service: 1966 - 1967
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Year of Death: 1967, Killed in Action
Branch: Marine Corps.
Rank: P.F.C.
War: Vietnam War
Medals Earned: Purple Heart, Vietnam Service Medal
Message: This is my brother Wayne, aka Tom to the family, and he was a Marine P.F.C. who joined the service on Oct 11, 1966. He went to Camp Pendleton where he trained as a team member operating a BAR machine gun. By the end of May 1967 he was sent to Da Nang part of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, M Company. He spent the summer months shuttling around the Chu Lai and Tam Ky areas. At the start of September, his unit became part of Operation Swift in the Queson Valley and it lasted about 2 weeks. It was a fierce battle, from what I understand, and as it was winding down a Douglas AC-47 Spooky gunship flew over his unit's location with guns firing. It was early morning of September 12 and my brother Tom was struck and killed. The government credits his death to enemy small arms fire. He left behind his parents, 3 younger brothers and a younger sister who all miss him dearly.
Submitted By: William Carnell
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