16 May 2004 God willing and the Lord's blessing you met my dad at the gates of heaven. I am the niece who never knew you, but I love you. Fly High From the daughter of his deceased brother, Richard Simpson, Layla Cronan 3642 Oak Street, Duluth, Georgia 30096 craigandlayla@aol.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall On 21 May 1967, 1st Platoon, K Troop, 3/11th ACR, was conducting a normal resupply run along National Route 1 from the Gia Ray Rock Quarry to the intersection of Route 1 and Provincial Route 2. Shortly after passing through Suoi Cat village and crossing over the Song Rai stream, the column came under attack by a large VC force. The ambush began with recoilless rifle fire which immediately destroyed several of the platoon's tracks and damaged others. By the time reinforcements arrived on scene, 16 men were dead: SSG James A. Jackson, Seaside, CA SP5 William P. Centers, Lexington, KY SGT Eugene H. Dickinson, Northfield, VT SGT Alfred Lee, Rosehill, VA SP4 Toler L. Hutchins, Colt, AR SP4 Phillip E. Ireland, Trappe, MD SP4 Henry D. McInnis, Meridian, MS SP4 James D. McWhorter, Blue Springs, MS SP4 Anthony W. Roybal, Trinidad, CO SP4 James T. Steighner, Saxonburg, PA SP4 Dwight E. Timberlake, Livonia, MI SP4 Larry A. Williamson, Racine, WI PFC Patrick M. Loisel, Chatsworth, CA (M Troop with K Troop) PFC Rodolfo A. Saenz, Mercedes, TX PFC William C. Stanley, Warwick, RI PVT Jerry L. Houser, Sacramento, CA One other, track commander SSgt Walter Simpson, was missing in action. He was in one of the tracks which was hit and set ablaze by R/R fire. Although the badly burned remains of three other men in the track were recovered, Sergeant Simpson's body could not be identified. A year and a day after the engagement, on 22 May 1968, the Army changed Simpson's status from MIA to Killed in Action/Body not Recovered. A detailed description of the action can be found on the K Troop web site The New Jersey Vietnam Memorial is arranged with one panel for each day of the year. Walter S. Simpson is remembered on the panel for 21 May, the day K Troop was ambushed. The seven men on the 21 May panel are HM3 Peter F. Mead, US Navy   H&S Co, 1st Bn, 9th Marines Cpl Peter E. Millar, USMC   1st Bn, 9th Marines SSG Walter S. Simpson, US Army   K Trp, 3rd Sqd, 11th Armored Cavalry CWO Walter F. Wrobleski, US Army   281st Assault Helicopter Co SGT Richard F. Biesiada, US Army   F Troop, 17th Cavalry CPL Donald Miller, US Army   E Co (LRRP), 52nd Infantry CPL Allen W. Vanderhoof, US Army   A Co, 1st Bn, 27th Infantry

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