devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Share #1 Posted February 5, 2012 As with my previous posting about a Khe Sanh Marine who gave his life, I know that this particular group has been the subject of a previous post. Thank you again to the same member who was willing to negotiate a deal with me, I have the honor to be the guardian of the items belonging to Sergeant Carl J. Ornelas. It is my honor to remember him on this the 44th anniversary of his sacrifice. Carl John Ornelas was born May 21 1948 in Concord, NH. At a young age he moved with his family to Witchita, KS. He enlisted in the Marine Corps May 24, 1965, 3 days after he turned 17. He went through boot camp at MCRD San Diego, CA. After going through additional infantry school training at ITR (infantry Training Regiment) Camp Pendleton, he was assigned to H&S Company 3rd Bn 5th Marines as a rifleman on November 20, 1965. For reasons not explained he was sent transferred to Bulk Fuel Company Supply Battalion 1st FSR Camp Pendleton on January 5, 1966. From the end of January 1966 to May 1966 he was receiving OJT as a Bulk Fuel Specialist 1391. His MOS changed to 1391. In October he was sent shipped out to Okinawa and was assigned to 7th Separate Bulk Fuel Company 5th Division Reinforced. In January 2, 1967 Ornelas joined FLSU (Force Logistics Support Unit) as a 2311 which is the MOS for an ammo tech, an MOS that according to his records he had never been trained for prior to this assignment. While in Vietnam, Ornelas was at Phu Bai, which was headquarters for the 3rd Marine Division to which he was assigned. On January 20, 1967 he suffered shrapnel wounds from mortar fire which penetrated the right side of his chest with hemopneumothorax which happens with blood enters the chest cavity that separates the muscle and the rib cage. When fluid enters into it, it acts very much like water separating two sheets of glass. He was treated at NSA DaNang and released. Upon release from the hospital he was then assigned to Supply Company FLSG (Force Logistics Support Group) “A” 3rd Service Battalion FLC at Camp Hansen Okinawa where he completed training in April of ’67 as an ammo tech, the same job he had in Vietnam. He was sent back to Vietnam for a second time on November 20, 1967 with FLSG Co. A 3rd Service Battalion FLC as an ammo tech. A Sergeant by this point, Ornelas was assigned to the Marine base at Khe Sanh January 17, 1968, only a few days before the fireworks began. Khe Sanh remained under watchful eye, yet relatively quiet in the closing months of 1967 and well into early January 1968. In the pre-dawn hours of January 21, 1968 following a night-long assault on hill 861, a position held by Kilo Company 3rd Bn 26th Marines, the NVA guns dug in across the border or Laos in a mountain known as Co Roc and NVA positions around the combat base unleashed a hail of artillery and mortar fire on the combat base, initiating what would turn out to be a 77 day siege. At approximately 0530, the distant report of rockets and mortar tubes echoed throughout the valley as a cluster of 82mm mortars crashed into the center of the combat base around eastern end of the base occupied by Bravo Company 1st Bn 26th Marines and element of Alpha Company 1st Battalion 26th Marines. David Leverton, a corpsman with Alpha Company recalled, “I swear like in slow motion I must have raised three feet laying flat on my back and screamed ‘Incoming’ out of a sound sleep. Why, I don’t know, but less than thirty seconds later the first rocket hit. Nobody in that tent was still sleeping.” Captain Kenneth Pipes, commanding Bravo Company 1st Bn 26th Marines exclaimed, “That sounds like incoming!” The company gunney from Georgia would have none of it. He woke up from his sleep and shouted back, “Hell no captain, that ain’t incoming!” Shortly after the Gunny’s assessment, the first cluster of mortar rounds exploded outside the captain’s bunker. A nearby tent holding some of Bravo Company’s corpsman, supply specialists and radio operators emptied quickly as the men came pouring out in search of cover. One man, Lance Corporal Steven Hellwig, turned back to the tent as he forgot something. During his momentary pause, a large shell landed next to him and literally cut the 19-year old in half. Fifteen minutes into the siege, an NVA large caliber round landed in the bases ammunition dump (ammo supply point No. 1) which held 1,100 tons of ammunition for the 155mm, 105mm 106mm 81mm, 60mm, and 4.2 inch mortars. This was the main dump for the base situated between Alpha Company’s position and Bravo Company’s position. The initial explosion caused not only secondary explosions but sent numerous 105mm and 106 recoilless rounds flying out everywhere. The discarded munitions were rendered incredibly unstable yet Marines Edward Pendergast and others ran out, stripped off their shirts, draped them over the glowing red hot rounds, picking them up on either end and tossed them out of the trench line where they landed. This went on for hours as secondary explosions from the ammo dump continued to arbitrarily detonate sending more rounds out. The concussion was so violent at times that structure still above ground were blown over. My own father who was at the opposite end of the base in Lima Company 3rd Bn 26th Marine’s position that morning recalled the blast concussion from some of those secondary explosions hit us like a blast of wind and made your ears ring. He recalled the 122mm rockets coming in and one slamming into the tent that was 3rd Battalion’s make-shift mess hall tossing crates and stuff everywhere. Some of us even went out to salvage a few edible items that we figured we could use later. That morning an estimated 100 rounds of 82mm mortars and sixty 122mm rockets slammed into the combat base between 0500 and 0530, a small amount by later standards for example February 23, 1968 1,307 rounds hit the combat base during the day, the most intense barrage during the entire siege. From that morning in January for the next 77 days, the combat base at Khe Sanh and the surround hill top postions, one of which would be virtually overrun Outpost Alpha 1 on Hill 64 where Alpha Company 1st Bn 9th Marines were located. On February 8, 1968 in the foggy pre-dawn hours an NVA regiment overran Alpha Company’s position killing 24 Marines and wounding 27. The siege necessitating vital resupply, a task made much more difficult due to the fact that route 9, the only road to the base, was cut off. The siege made helo supply difficult and the airstrip was really the only hope. C-130’s had to resort by late January to LAPES resupply (Low Altitude Parachute Extraction Supply). Getting the needed supplies of food, ammo, water and mail from home then fell to the Logistics Supply Unit attached to the 26th Marines. Sergeant Carl Ornelas was the chief ammo tech. During the siege as ammo came in by plane Sgt. Ornelas and his ammo techs would often have to operate a fork lift to get the ammo off the air strip ASAFP. Surely this attracted the attention of NVA guns who would not desire a better target than a large pallet of 105mm rounds. Reading through his journal and records that he kept during the siege, it evident that the final weeks of the young 19 year old sergeant’s life were obviously full of terror but utterly exhausting trying to keep the guns around the base supplied with ammo. He and his ASP personnel had no choice, at times when incoming was heavy and others had the opportunity to seek cover, but to get out to the open airstrip and get ammo out of the open and or deliver it where needed. What a true hero he was. On February 5, 1968 at some point during the afternoon, had been taking the open road between Logistics Support Unit, Charlie Med (3rd Medical Battalion) and Recon’s position. His fellow Marines had cautioned him not to use that open road as there was really no immediate cover and it was the road running parallel to the airstrip, seemingly the main target of the NVA guns. He was advised to use the adjacent trench system which took longer to maneuver through. According to an interview with Philip Wright as it appears in “Battalion of Kings,” by Ray Stubbe a navy chaplain at the combat base, Ornelas was determined to use the road. Ornelas was quoted as saying “lightening doesn’t strike twice in the same spot,” and didn’t cotton to the idea of using a trench to move to the LSU. “He just stepped out of his hootch and was walking up to the main road,” according to Wright. “The shell damn-near landed on his bootlaces and split him wide open and gutted him all at one time. There was a very surprised look on his face; his face didn’t get hurt. His eyes were as big as saucers,” recalled Wright in 1995. It was a 152mm artillery round that instantly killed the tireless 19-year old ammo tech who time and time again risked his life to ensure that desperately needed ammunition reached his fellow Marines in order to hold that red-clayed patch of unforgiving ground. According to his casualty file, “Died 5Feb68 Quang Tri Province (01) Republic of Vietnam ‘result shrapnel wounds to the head and body from hostile rocket fire when the bulk fuel farm came under attack.’ Sgt. Carl Ornelas remains were sent home to his family in Kansas City, Missouri and he was interred at Ft. Leavenworth National Cemetery. May he rest in peace and forever be remembered and honored for his tremendous sacrifice. Semper Fi, Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #2 Posted February 5, 2012 Here are his medals. His purle heart has the star denoting his previous wounding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #3 Posted February 5, 2012 another shot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #4 Posted February 5, 2012 the reverse of his purple heart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #5 Posted February 5, 2012 close up of the reverse of the purple heart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #6 Posted February 5, 2012 Here are the books kept by Carl during the siege as chief ammo tech for the LSU 26th Marines. The light color green book on the right is the exact same kind that we still use in the Marine Corps today or at least as of 2005 when I got out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #7 Posted February 5, 2012 Inside cover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #8 Posted February 5, 2012 A list of his personnel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37thguy Posted February 5, 2012 Share #9 Posted February 5, 2012 :salute: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #10 Posted February 5, 2012 more content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lackland82 Posted February 5, 2012 Share #11 Posted February 5, 2012 Nice grouping to a marine that gave the ultimate sacrifice for this country :salute: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #12 Posted February 5, 2012 The second book where he scratched notes and instructions regarding handeling of ammo and storing it. The eerie aspect to this second book is that you can tell he had it with him on his person at Khe Sanh. If you talk to anyone who was at Khe Sanh, the one indellible aspect that they will tell you they recall regarding the physical landscape is the near maroon red clay that permeated everything from skin to clothing. If you look at the pages especially the one below, you can see that distinct red clay on these pages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #13 Posted February 5, 2012 The second book where he scratched notes and instructions regarding handeling of ammo and storing it. The eerie aspect to this second book is that you can tell he had it with him on his person at Khe Sanh. If you talk to anyone who was at Khe Sanh, the one indellible aspect that they will tell you they recall regarding the physical landscape is the near maroon red clay that permeated everything from skin to clothing. If you look at the pages especially the one below, you can see that distinct red clay on these pages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #14 Posted February 5, 2012 more content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #15 Posted February 5, 2012 more content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #16 Posted February 5, 2012 more content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #17 Posted February 5, 2012 more content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #18 Posted February 5, 2012 more content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #19 Posted February 5, 2012 more content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #20 Posted February 5, 2012 more content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #21 Posted February 5, 2012 More content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #22 Posted February 5, 2012 More content, notice the massive amount of red clayed finger prints, undoubtedly Ornelas's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #23 Posted February 5, 2012 inside of back cover still very dirty with the redish clay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #24 Posted February 5, 2012 Carl Ornelas lived in Kansas City at some point as his mother's address was KS. David D. Duncan, a very famous photographer who had been with the Marines in WWII, Korea and at Con Thien a year before Khe Sanh, came to Khe Sanh to document in photographs the siege. His work culminated in a book about the battle entitled "I Protest." Duncan was also from Kansas City. I don't know how he would have had any contact with Ornelas's mother other than perhaps he had some contact and exchanged addresses with Ornelas while at Khe Sanh. In any respect, Duncan sent a copy of his book signed to Anna Ornelas, Carl's mother. Inside the book he signed the book for her saying "For Anne, This tiny book is only an effort and there is special kind of man remembered here, David" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share #25 Posted February 5, 2012 some images from the book taken by Duncan at Khe Sanh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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