Earl Mack

The database page for Earl Mack

13 Feb 2003 REMEMBERED by his comrades in the 5th Infantry Placed by a fellow Bobcat, Randy Kethcart randy@bobcat.ws

A Note from The Virtual Wall The 5th Infantry history contains the following entry for 14 Feb 1968: "On February 14, 1968, The battalion conducted RIF operations. Company B and Company C worked the area east of Hoc Mon. Company A worked the area 6 kilometers south of Hoc Mon. Companies B and C began blowing bunkers they encountered in their respective areas and discovered VC bodies, weapons, equipment, and a number of US weapons and documents. "At 1210 hours, Company C reported light contact with an unknown sized enemy force 2 kilometers northeast of Hoc Mon. The fight escalated and an APC from Company C was hit by an RPG and caught fire. Company C requested a dust-off for 3 wounded Bobcats at 1344 hours. At 1436 hours they reported one Bobcat killed. Company B and the Recon platoon reinforced the Company C elements. At 1631 hours, a dust-off was requested for three more wounded Bobcats. At 1800 hours, tank cannons and artillery were fired to cover an attempt to extract wounded from the contact area. At 1823 hours Company C requested a dust-off. Two wounded and one dead Bobcat were placed on this dust-off. At 1855 hours, Companies B and C set up a perimeter. All the wounded were dusted-off. At 2006 hours, it was reported that 6 Bobcats from Company C and one Bobcat from Company B were known to be dead, but that the bodies of six of them had not yet been recovered. "On February 15, 1968, an assault was planned into the area of Company C�s previous contact. ... At 1137 hours, five of the MIAs were located at XT 773046. ... At 1155 hours, the body of the 6th MIA was located in the burned APC at XT 770045." The seven men killed in the action were Bravo Company: SP4 Jose J. Santiago, New York, NY Charlie Company: 1LT David G. Isbell, Huntsville, TX 1LT Ralph L. Williams, Billings, MT (Dist Svc Cross) SGT Richard P. Vellance, Saginaw, MI SP4 Earl Mack, Cambridge, MD PFC David E. Keister, Reynoldsburg, OH PFC Roger G. Wilson, Oklahoma City, OK

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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Memorial first published on 13 Feb 2003
Last updated 08/10/2009