Sir Freddy Johnson
Bill Ventura’s close up photo of Freddy Johnson with his ever present cigar. In any event, good to see Freddy again.

Bill Ventura’s close up photo of Freddy Johnson with his ever present cigar. In any event, good to see Freddy again.

We’re in the process of gathering information on the whereabouts of all platoon members. Coop is currently doing the heavy lifting assembling a Google Doc with all of the information in it.
We are looking for more information to update our document. If you have any new contact details for any members please contact Coop at: Joseph Cooper. Please replace ‘(AT)’ in his e-mail address with the ‘@’ symbol.
Semper Fi
Khe Sanh Veterans Home Page’s Message Board
LZ Margo
IP: 69.176.8.122
Posted on October 21, 2009 at 04:45:16 PM by Mike Fishbaugh
Below is a posting from the TWS/Marine website. Thought I would pass alone:
I administer the profile for our Fallen Brother PFC LAWRENCE GEORGE BRYAN from Columbus, Ohio who served with 81 mortar platoon, H&S Co, 2nd Bn, 26th Marines, 3rd MarDiv
http://marines.togetherweserved.com/usmc/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=Profile&type=Person&ID=126594
Lawrence was KIA at Landing zone Margo Republic of Vietnam Sep 16, 1968 I found the following message on the Vietnam Memorial Wall site for Lawrence. I just thought that perhaps someone on TWS who may have served in Nam in the 26th Marines might like to know about this and perhaps respond to Maynard Sinclair’s message.
Please forgive me if I’m not going about this in the right way. I read many, many of these messages as days go by. There are so many who continue to hurt after all the years past. I just wish that I could reach out and let the many know that we still care and remember the sacrifices that were made.
I just thought that perhaps someone who was there would better know how to respond to Maynard’s request.
Thanks and
Semper Fi
gary
Maynard Sinclair
danielavia27@yahoo.com
brother in action who carried him
610 Williams St. Jacksonville N.C. 28540 usa
The last to speak with Lawrence-his fellow brother in Action
Maynard Lee Sinclair, His Home-boy. I was with him the day he died. To this
day I have had no closure of him until I found this site. I lost him- I lost myself. But he
lives today and everyday in my mind and my heart as well as every 151 who had died at Landing zone Margo. SLF-2nd battalion 26th marines. H&S company 81 mortar platoon.
He died approximately 3 days before my birthday. It was my turn to go down to the water hole to fill the canteens which we had built out of bamboo. He grabbed my flak jacket and he said’ Since it was your birthday I’ll go for you’. When he went down there they drop rounds and it could have been me. Sometimes I feel it should have been me. He saved my life.
I have since then retired after 30 years and everyday I think of him. I have PTSD and have had 6 heart attacks but I am still alive. I am alive because Lawrence is my angel. Many men stay in my mind but Lawrence was my best friend. I carried him on that day. I miss you Lawrence. I know you are here watching over me still as you did that day. If any family of his is out there or friend please contact me. It would help with some closure. His family is my family. I wish I could help give them closure as well.
Have so much more to say!(910)347-9377 or (919)559-6238. Please Help Me
Mar 21, 2009
Replies:
Re(1): LZ Margo – By eric October 21, 2009 at 05:11:11 PM
Re(2): LZ Margo – By doc lancaster October 21, 2009 at 05:22:21 PM
Re (3): LZ Margo – By Mack October 21, 2009 at 07:07:22 PM
Re(1): Re (3): LZ Margo – By matt walsh October 22, 2009 at 05:53:28 AM
Re(1): Re (3): LZ Margo – By earl October 21, 2009 at 07:31:34 PM
I am wondering if Marines are made in Bootcamp or if they are destined to be Marines? Figure the DNA or something like some religious miracle thing where God created us etc?
I heard the idea about us being BORN from Pedro recently, but then, I had already thought about the possibility before. Especially when I think of how I was when I was a kid. Hmm?
Anyway, I will have to post copies of three email messages I got recently just to give you a little insight on how I got to this line of thinking
Most reunions that I’ve been to there is usually have some younger vets that are invited. In the Reno case, the Mountain Warfare school is just across the state line in Bridgeport Calif so thats why these particular guys were invited. Of course every city has some home town military units, and you also have a lot of “walk ins” that just show up. In any event it is always good to get the young and old together as it helps to keep that tradition strong.

Khe Sanh Vets in the front and some present day 5th Marines in the back. The younger Marines were training at Mountain Climbing School over in Bridgeport California and since it is not too far from Reno they were invited to come over to Reno and have a few beers and talk some talk. If you read Proverbs 29-20 you get a good idea of what I am thinking.


Me and Al Green back in Sept 68 at LZ Susan.
This photo was taken just after we got out of LZ Margo with our lives in tact. LZ Susan was just far enough away from LZ Margo that we were out of range of the mortar barrages that had hit us so bad at LZ Margo’
Me and Pilch on the great 81s hump!


Somewhere near Camp Carroll or Con Thien Photo from Bill Ventura
Coop sent me a T shirt years ago, and that is how we got the words to our Logo.

Rod on the left. Can you see the tape anntenae?

Larry Ballard, Earle Breeding and Larry McCartney at the Chaplain Brett ceremony.

From Left. Jay Jabbour ( US Army, Korea), Post Commander Chuck Krebs (US Army, Vietnam), and Charles Freker (US Army, Vietnam) then Ken Curcio (Gulf Storm) Ken is related to Frank Skocich who was killed at LZ Margo. Ken’s, sister in law – Rosalind Heid took the photo. SF

Pittsburgh Area Vets
Ken Curcio putting rounds into his magazine He looks so young but then I have a few photos of my own young self.

During Desert Storm we captured a lot of POWs. Kens unit had to take care of these guys once they were brought in.

Ken and his MP unit getting ready to take the Iraqis into custody

Ken got the idea for his own site from some of the things that we were doing when we were trying to find out about Frank Skocich

Ken Curcio making his first post.
Hey Devil Dogs,
I just wanted to take a minute and thank Eric for posting some of my stuff. That was an unexpected surprise to bounce onto your site and see all that stuff on there. I sent the link and showed it to my buddy Mike River who is in the pic with me disembarking the Iraqi prisoners from the CH53. One of the things he told me was that he felt honored to be on a site with Vietnam Marines. I couldn’t agree more. Like you all followed in the footsteps of Marines before you, We followed in your footsteps. We tried to live up to your greatness, as you lived up to the greatness of Marines that went before you. So for us it is a honor to be posted with you guys.
Also, I check in on the your site often to see what you guys have been posting. I like what you guys have been doing with the site. It really has turned out great.
Till next time,
Semper Fi
Ken Curcio – Frank Skocich’s Cousin & Gulf War Marine.
Me and Phil Avampato with another guy behind us but I can’t remember his name, but then, maybe he’ll turn up here. For now I will call him “Baby Face.” SF

Me and Avampato in the ship with another baby face Marine between us.
Me hanging around and about (and almost off) the Platform. AKA The Landing Platform Helicopter. LPH5 – USS Princeton.

On page ( 497) in the Paperback Edition of VALLEY OF DECISION by Ray Stubbe and John Prados you’ll find these words about Golf and Fox etc”
Another breakout action the Marines took involved the 2nd battalion, 26th Marines, still under Lieutenant Colonel Francis Heath. On April 5 (Notes) the battalion’s Golf company (Captain Lee R. Overstreet) conducted a company-size combat patrol to the southwest of Hill 558, the first since late January. The mission was to be a reconnaissance – to check whether the NVA occupied a ridge that overlooked Hill 558 from about 1,800 meters to the west.
The battalion maneuver uncovered an NVA HORNET’S NEST. GOLF Company stumbled into a reinforced North Vietnamese company atop its objective. A lot of things went wrong, including a two-hour delay in support fire because of a super gaggle of, helicopters that refused to vacate the area. Heath called the company back to 558 for the night, the casualties stood at three killed, eleven missing, forty-nine wounded and evacuated, plus eleven wounded but not evacuated
On Palm Sunday – April 7 – Heath tried again, this time with two companies. To Golf he added Foxtrot under Captain Charles F. Divelbiss. The men struggled forward under an extremely hot sun, through dense foliage and up steep slopes. There were a number heat casualties before the Marines even got close to the NVA ridge line. The assault itself would be equally tough. In Foxtrot both officers leading forward platoons were shot. One platoon was reduced to fourteen marines led by a corporal, Rudy De La Garza.
Captain Overstreet with Golf was wounded twice. Golf was again repulsed,: and Foxtrot had to be withdrawn with eight dead, two marines who later died of their wounds, and fifty-one others wounded. As for Golf company, it now had only 120 of the 210 marines it had a couple of days before
Two days of aerial and artillery bombardment followed, Heath drew up a plan for an attack by his entire battalion. Not wanting to begin prematurely, he rejected the offer some helicopter pilots made of inserting a force of riflemen directly on top of the ridge. Also, Echo company under First Lieutenant Joseph R. Meeks was sent to hill 861 on April 9, where it became the battalion reserve for the attack on the ridge opposite. Heath, like Cahill, (Cahill was mentioned on an earlier page) made a night move to put the battalion into assault positions before first light. At 6:30 am. they attacked with three companies on line. (I think this was Fox Golf and Hotel with Echo on reserve)
The rest was anticlimax. Having fought so hard against the earlier forays, the North Vietnamese decided they had enough, and pulled out. Marines found the bodies of the missing Marines, and an American PRC-25 radio still tuned to Golf company’s frequency.
“Some troopers in Battalion Rear painted in the Chaplins while we were in DMZ although undeserved and I requested Fighting Nomads instead. By the time I arrived at Phu Bai, the sign was erected already.”
— On Sun, 6/22/08, Dunc Chaplin <dsnack@worldpath.net> wrote:
June 22 … Whoops, look at what I found in my drafts file. Sorry it’s late. Tomorrows my 80th. My family is holding a large birthday party on Saturday. It’s a Pig Roast kindness of Strafford County Sheriff Wayne Estes. Whoopee! Money Six
For Jimmy Ronny: I live in Strafford and Farmington is just over New Durham Ridge by town maintained gravel roads. Yes, it is one of the few towns still in tact as NH turns into residential, bed rooms and out of state recreation hide outs.


Rockpile Sept 9th 1968. Some guys in Golf got serioulsy burned in their bunker. They had some increments bags in the bunker and they caught fire.
Here is a photo of my three pals from the radio squad.

Billy Parker and Eric Smith at Mai Loc. Circa early Sept 68. Probably 2 weeks before LZ Margo.

Blake and Lanahan are in front. I can also see Ponce and Sgt Long. These guys were in the 3rd Section which is why I was there but after Margo I became Comm Chief which means I would also have been Lt Green’s radioman too.

A lot of people are contenders

I am tring to post a photo but I dont know how the NexGen Gallery is working.
For now let me just say Semper Fi and I wil see if I can upload a photo
SF
I still can’t upload a jpg.
Like the list of KIAs. Not sure what I am doing wrong. If this text message works then it will be just a problem with the photos. But in any event we will fix things. Just hang on.
SF
BTW What is Askimet? They say there is a problem with the network or server. I am not sure about that program so I iwll wait to see what Bryan does.
Well I can’t speak for everyone, although I’d have to say it would be a destiny thing for all of us.
But for me, I never even thought of walking into the recruiting office of any other branch of service. And considering I was in my moms belly during Frank’s funeral in 68 and my birthday is Feb. 19th – the day one of the Marine Corps most infamous battles started, ( Iwo Jima ) I’d have to say I was born to be a Marine. It takes a certian type of person to walk into a Marine recruiting office and sign themselves up. Especially without exploring any of the other branches.
Then Eric, we talk of classes in society like the middle class right? How about the old warrior class? The warrior class still exists if you ask me and that is where we all kind of fall into don’t you think?
Something to ponder I guess.
SF
Ken Curcio – GWV