Fortes Fortuna Juvat (Fortune Favors the Brave) 

3rd Marines, 3rd Marine division, 2nd Battalion G Co, 2nd Platoon

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE…

The following Four Marines Gave All On the Morning of September 19, 1968, in side the DMZ of North and South Vietnam

Bruce Stanley Larson, Private First Class

April 2 1948 – September 19 1968

Bedford, New York

Wall Panel 43W Line 039

 

 

Robert Gerald Tate, Lance Corporal

February 13, 1947 to September 19, 1968

Livonia, Michigan

Wall Panel 43W Line 043

 

 

James Allen Donaldson, Private First Class

December 28, 1947 to September 19, 1968

St Louis, Missouri

Wall Panel 43W Line 035

 

 

James Charles Dan Simmons, Lance Corporal

June 30, 1949 to September 19, 1968

Eloy, Arizona

Wall Panel 43W Line 042

 

 

My Cousin a Marine also Gave all on August 18, 1965,

in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam

 

Jon David Vannatta, Lance Corporal

I CO, 3RD BN, 3RD MARINES, 3RD MARDIV, III MAF

June 16, 1945 to August 18, 1965

Richmond, Indiana

Wall Panel 02E Line 059

All Gave Some, Some Gave All

A Man is not Dead until He is Forgotten…

Throughout our Nation’s history, the men and women of America’s Armed Forces have preserved our freedom, protected our security, and upheld our democratic values. From the battles of the American Revolution through the crucible of two world wars to the challenging peacekeeping and humanitarian missions of today’s post-Cold War era, our men and women in uniform have stood proudly in defense of the United States and in the cause of liberty. In the two centuries since our Nation’s birth, more than a million have paid the price of that liberty with their lives.

Joining the ranks of these heroes are the thousands who have been held as prisoners of war or whose fate has never been resolved. Many have been lost in the chaos of battle, the grief of their loss made more acute for their families and their fellow Americans because of the inability to determine whether they perished or survived. Captive Americans, cruelly stripped of their freedom, treated with contempt and brutality, or used as pawns by their captors in a larger political struggle, have fought long, lonely battles against despair, physical and psychological torture, and the ultimate fear of being forgotten.

On that day (September 19, 1968) about 9 a.m. while our Company was traped in a u-shaped ambush, in addition to those that paid the ultimate price several Marines were wounded, sadly I cannot remember the name of the Marine on the left and to the rear of this photograph.

If anyone recognizes any of the Marines in this photograph please email: rmv@vannattabrothers.com

United States Marine Corps

“Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome”

Saepe Expertus – Semper Fidelis – Fratres Aeterni

“Often Tested” – “Always Faithful” – “Brothers Forever”

The Betrayal of American Veterans

Did you know that all members of America’s Armed Forces effectively write blank checks, payable to the United States of America for an amount “up to and including their lives’?”  In turn, The United States of America promises to spend them responsibly.  That bargain implicitly includes a promise by the United States to protect and to seek retribution against anyone who harms them.  In the case of surviving Veterans, Widows and Orphans, the United States has failed to keep its end of the bargain.