Monte Ray Harper
Specialist Four
3RD PLT, A CO, 4TH BN, 47TH INFANTRY, 9TH INF DIV, USARV
Army of the United States
Palmdale, California
December 12, 1946 to June 19, 1967
MONTE R HARPER is on the Wall at Panel 22E, Line 13

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Monte R Harper
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02 Mar 2001

Beloved son, accomplished organist, only brother -
he is missed very much by all his family.

A memorial from his father,
Merle E Harper
15252 Seneca Rd #41, Victorville. Ca 92392
junielee@aol.com


 
23 Jul 2003

I just learned of Monte from a friend of his who remembers him fondly. I wanted to express my condolences to his family and friends and place a tribute here to a person who gave the ultimate sacrifice for us.

"Garry Owen" from someone who served with the 2/7th Cavalry in Vietnam!

Rolando A. Salazar
Walnut Creek, CA
mktras@aol.com


 
28 Apr 2005

I just found this and wanted to say that I sometimes forget about Monty and the others who gave it all there. I don't mean to, I don't want to, I just do. I want to thank his dad for this and I also want to say to Jenni that I miss him and her together.

From a friend,
David M. Fahey
davidmfahey@comcast.net


 

A Note from The Virtual Wall

In early 1967 the 5th Nha Be (VC) Battalion, a main force Viet Cong unit, was operating in Gia Dinh Province around Saigon. In a series of battles during the spring of 1967, the 5th Battalion was severely mauled by the 199th Infantry Brigade and chose to withdraw to a safe haven in Can Giuoc District to refit and rebuild. Their haven was in a bend of the Rach Nui River near the village of Ap Bac.

The first joint Army/Navy operation in the Delta began at 0500 19 Jun 1967 when troops of the 3rd and 4th Battalions, 47th Infantry, were loaded aboard a fleet of 26 Armored Troop Carriers (ATCs), with 5 heavily-armed river monitors and 2 command boats in support. At 0635 the ATCs landed the first of five rifle companies at a point two kilometers north of the village of Ap Bac. The troops began a sweep toward Ap Bac, slogging across flooded rice paddies.

At 1150, A Company, 4/47th Infantry, set off a ferocious battle when they entered one of the 5th VC Battalion's base areas. The fighting went on until after dark, and ended with the VC backed up against the Rach Nui River. During the night, many of the VC escaped across the river, but those remaining on the south bank were killed when the fighting resumed at daybreak.

A search of the battlefield turned up 218 bunkers, many of them destroyed, and 98 dead Viet Cong soldiers. Documents captured later stated that the 5th Nha Be actually lost 170 killed in action, with many more wounded. OPERATION CONCORDIA succeeded, but it carried a high cost - 48 Americans were dead, and scores more were wounded.


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