Jerry Wayne Combest

The database page for Jerry Wayne Combest

11 Sep 2003 Photo courtesy of Ronnie Foster REMEMBERED by his comrades in the 5th Infantry

07 Mar 2007 I am grateful for this opportunity to honor my former classmate and friend, who gave his life for our country. Jerry was a great guy. He was not only a classmate (in a class of only 30 students) but we attended the same church, and we lived in a very small town. Our classmates were like brothers and sisters to us. I will never forget the shock and grief that I felt when I heard that Jerry had paid the ultimate price. I think of him often, and have wondered many times what he might have accomplished on this earth, if God had granted him more time here. Any time the classmates from that class are together, we remember and honor Jerry and Lanny Hale (another classmate to die in Vietnam). They will never be forgotten. I am grateful for the Memorial Wall, so their names will stand there for as long as there is a United States of America. Evelyn (White) Myers mugmyers@aol.com

Notes from The Virtual Wall Shortly before 7 AM on 21 August 21 1968 C Company 1/5 Inf departed Dau Tieng for a reconnaissance in force operation through the Ben Cui Rubber Plantation. C Company was to operate approximately 1 kilometer south of Highway 239, while the 1/5 Recon Platoon, the 3rd Brigade CRIP Platoon, and one twin 40mm "Duster" were to sweep the highway itself, paralleling C Company's movement through the rubber plantation. Just after 11 AM C Company began receiving sniper fire, followed by increasingly heavy automatic weapons and RPG fire. At 1140 the Recon Platoon sighted hundreds of enemy soldiers moving south to engage C Company. The Recon force engaged the enemy with .50 caliber machine guns and the Duster's 40mm cannons but were unable to break up the attack against C Company. In the heavy fighting which ensued, C Company suffered 17 men killed in action and 21 wounded in action. Staff Sergeant Marvin R. Young received the Medal of Honor and SP4 Michael R. Mangan the Distinguished Service Cross for their efforts in support of their comrades. Additional information regarding the fighting, which continued on 22 and 23 August, is available on the 5th Infantry site . The men from Charlie 1/5 who died that day were SFC Mainor D. Lang, Savannah, GA SSG Marvin R. Young, Odessa, TX (Medal of Honor) CPL James L. Bowden, Louisburg, NC CPL Edward V. Coffey, Richmond Hill, NY CPL Jose R. Colon-rivera, Cayey, PR SP4 Jerry W. Combest, Wylie, TX CPL James L. Harbottle, Flagstaff, AZ SP4 Michael R. Mangan, Costa Mesa, CA (Dist Svc Cross) PFC Bruce E. Bartlett, Fort Lauderdale, FL PFC Richard A. Damschen, Bremerton, WA PFC Gary L. Dobbins, Akron, OH PFC Edward J. Dull, Taunton, MA PFC David W. Ledbetter, Piedmont, AL PFC Hubert W. Martin, Oakman, AL PFC Jesus Rivera, New York, NY PFC James E. Rush, Preston, MS PFC Delbert R. Stogsdill, Detroit, MI

The point-of-contact for this memorial is a fellow Bobcat, Randy Kethcart randy@bobcat.ws

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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Memorial first published on 11 Oct 2003
Last updated 08/03/2007