I served in Vietnam with a Marine rifle company, Delta Co., 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, in the latter part of 1968 until I was wounded in a firefight.

I was sent back to the states for medical treatments of my wounds at the Naval Hospital in Camp Pendleton, California. In between the visit to the hospital, I was an instructor training Marines going over to Vietnam for a thirteen month tour. I knew how important it was to do my best to train these men from my experiences how to survive their deployment. Deep inside I also knew some of them will not come back no matter how hard I tried.

After I was discharged, reading about the rising casualties in Vietnam, I regretted I couldn't have done more. Few years later I saw the movie "Garden of Stones" about the Army's Old Guard burying soldiers killed in Vietnam. In the movie a sergeant with a similar job as mine explain to his girl friend how he felt with the task of such futility. He said, "If your house is burning and you can't save all your children, you do what you can and cry about the rest later". That is why I'm here on behalf of all combat training instructors; to cry for and honor the ones we couldn't save.

Semper Fidelis

I served in Vietnam with a Marine rifle company, Delta Co., 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, in the latter part of 1968 until I was wounded in a firefight.

I was sent back to the states for medical treatments of my wounds at the Naval Hospital in Camp Pendleton, California. In between the visit to the hospital, I was an instructor training Marines going over to Vietnam for a thirteen month tour. I knew how important it was to do my best to train these men from my experiences how to survive their deployment. Deep inside I also knew some of them will not come back no matter how hard I tried.

After I was discharged, reading about the rising casualties in Vietnam, I regretted I couldn't have done more. Few years later I saw the movie "Garden of Stones" about the Army's Old Guard burying soldiers killed in Vietnam. In the movie a sergeant with a similar job as mine explain to his girl friend how he felt with the task of such futility. He said, "If your house is burning and you can't save all your children, you do what you can and cry about the rest later". That is why I'm here on behalf of all combat training instructors; to cry for and honor the ones we couldn't save.

Semper Fidelis