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Khe Sanh February 25, 1968 3rd Platoon Bravo Company 1st Battalion 26th Marines


devildog34
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I am Mac - Milton McNeely and I served with Bravo Company 1/26 from March of 1967 until November 1968.

 

Kevin, could you give me a little more information about yourself and your dad?

 

Several members of Bravo Company would like to know.

 

Semper Fi,

 

Mac

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I am Mac - Milton McNeely and I served with Bravo Company 1/26 from March of 1967 until November 1968.

 

Kevin, could you give me a little more information about yourself and your dad?

 

Several members of Bravo Company would like to know.

 

Semper Fi,

 

Mac

PM sent would love to hear from you Mac and any of the other Bravo Company warriors.

Semper Fi

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  • 3 months later...

Devildog34

 

Well done on a great description of truly a sad story. I guess we will all have different opinions of the Khe Sahn experience. I was

assigned to 1/26 Bravo Company from late October 1967 to January 21st 1968 which your aware was the start of the TET offensive. The night of the 21st was when they hit the ammo dump and I was wounded by a 81mm shell of willy pete. At approximately 8am I was airlifted out of Khe Sanh and flown to a hospital somewhere in country. After a few days of stabilization and being upgraded from poor to fair condition I was next sent you Yokuska, Japan. I was in an intensive care unit receiving four skin grafts. On March 2,1968 I was finally all right to make the trip back home to the northeast. I was hospitalized there until December 24th at which time I was released from duty. I had many disappointing experiences during this time and really wished to have nothing to do with the military.

Please accept my sincere thanks for you great article.

Semper Fi

 

 

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Beausp67 I thank you from the bottom of my heart as a Marine for your service. My dad was in the red sector of the combat base with Lima Co. 3/26 during the siege. On one occaisson had his hole collapse in after a 122mm rocket caved it in and had to dig out with the help of other marines. I cannot imagine what that experience was like for you all. We honor and recognize yours and others sacrifice and thank you. Semper Fi,

Kevin

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1SG_1st_Cav

I recommend these books for more information. Prados and Stubbe,"Valley of Decision", Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991, 551 pages;

Murphy, "The Hill Fights", Ballatine Books, 2003, 340 pages; Shore, "The Battle for Khe Sanh", History and Museums Division, Headquarters, USMC, 1969 (reprinted 1977), 202 pages. I had one other book about Khe Sanh in my collection that I loaned to a Marine. I'm still waiting for him to return it. BTW, the Marines have never forgiven us, nor have they ever thanked us. The Marines have always believed that we just packed up 18,000 troops, equipment, artillery, and choppers and went to Khe Sanh uninvited. The truth is that the 1st Cavalry Division was ordered to Air Assault into the area by GEN Westmoreland. It's been 45 years guys, get over it! First Team ~ Sir! Danny

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I concure those books are all excellent. For a fantastic first hand account I also recommend "Siege in Clouds" a collection of oral histories by Eric Hammel. My appreciation extends to all soldiers, sailors and Marines as well as CIA operatives who were in Khe Sanh, Khe Sanh village and the surrounding area. My dad, a member of L Co. 3 Bn 26th Marines who was part of Operation Pegasus was sent out into hills on search and destroy operations. I can tell you that my dad knew little about the relief operation. To him, a 19 year old terrified kid, and I'm sure others the fight was devoid of politics and his world for 13 months existed 25 meters front and flank. I agree everyone has an opinion but the point of my post is to honor these men as a microcosm of the overall sacrifice that was bestowed by Americans troops of all branches to hold that piece of ground and deny quarter to a very highly determined enemy. It's political or strategic significance is not the focus of my intentions on this post. I thank you Danny for your service at that god for saken place and I salute you for your service to this nation.

Semper Fi

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What a tremendous thread. Thank you to all that sacrificed, and those who came forward to add their personal experiences to help us understand that moment in our history.

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  • 2 years later...
  • 11 months later...
  • 11 months later...

I want to resurrect this post to honor and remember the brave souls of Bravo Company 1st Battalion, 26th Marines who were lost 50 years ago today as well as pay respect to their brave surviving comrades who never have or will never forget their brothers whom they live for and mourn each and every day. God bless all of you, you are an example of the highest level of honor and courage ever exhibited by the Marine Corps or any warrior who has fought for this great nation. Semper Fidelis.

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  • 2 months later...
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Im in contact with quite a few of the Marines of Bravo Company but I do not have a list.

I'm just asking because there's a guy who my friends talk a lot about claiming he was in that patrol on that fateful day. I finally met the guy myself and have my doubts. Wondering if there's some stolen valor going on. Don't want to upset legit people about this, but am wondering.

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  • 8 months later...
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Have a good friend who came up to me at the Legion last week and said George I'm celebrating my second birthday today, looking a little puzzled he then said the day I was medi-vac'd out of Khe Sanh.  Harold served with the 1st 9th Marines "The Walking Dead" and was medically retired from the Corps a year after being wounded.  He never forgave them for abandoning the base later while he was in Great Lakes Hospital.  Great guy...Thanks to all of them

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  • 2 months later...
retread12345

I had a friend who served at KHE SAHN.   Believe he was in comm.      CRUDO, Robert   HOR New York

 

Please e mail me if anyone can help.   Semper Fi

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  • 1 year later...

I returned to Vietnam three times in the 1990s and each time visited Khe Sanh.  In 1994 Khe Sanh was little visited and I picked up several dog tags. One was for a "E.C. Rayburn USMC".  As stated he was grievously wounded with his "jaw shot away" in the battle.  Records at Ancestry show he died on January 23, 1976. Both parents are deceased. In the comments section of this Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLxgVKC615c  Richard Weston writes: "One poor guy that was in this patrol, a handsome young man with a fiancee back home, had his jaw shot off in the ambush, and survived until he could be rescued the following day, and had to watch helplessly while he comrades were killed all around him. He was medically discharged and returned to his hometown, unable to eat solid food. His fiancee dumped him, and he turned to drugs, died of an overdose in 1973."  In researching I suspected that and was saddened to see it confirmed.  I'm still researching and hoping to find more information and possibly someone or place to return this dogtag. 

 

And a note about dogtags from Vietnam.  There are a flood of fakes out there--I understand that some of the machines that make them were left behind and that started a whole industry.  The same with Zippos.  But in 1994, vietnam was still rarely visited by Americans and the circumstances of finding those dogtags leads me to believe they are real.  If anyone has any information I have a website that I can be contacted at:  https://www.vietnamjourneys.com 

P_RayburnTag.jpg

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