15 July 2005 My best pal in high school, killed in the TET offensive. We had some great times, buddy. Fred Stephans stephans_frederic@bah.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall On 03 Feb 1968 B Company, 4th Bn, 23rd Infantry, engaged an enemy force in Binh Duong Province northwest of Saigon. Six Americans died in the engagement and one disappeared. They were SP5 Leslie L. Cowden, Cedar, MN (medic, HHC w/ B/4/23) SP4 Bruce E. Engstrom, White Plains, NY CPL Howard Sadler, Valley Mills, TX PFC Leon Anderson, Senatobia, MS PFC Vernon Z. Johns, Baltimore, MD PFC Dale H. Schmidt, Harrison, IA PFC Marion E. Wilson, Zanesville, OH PFC Marion Wilson was driving an armored personnel carrier which was hit by a rocket propelled grenade, caught fire, and suffered internal explosions from on-board ammunition. His body could not be extracted from the vehicle before the intense fire and explosions gutted it, nor could identifiable remains be recovered from the wreckage. He was classified as Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered. PFC Vernon Johns was last seen standing in the gunner's hatch of his personnel carrier, firing his .50 caliber machinegun at the enemy, but could not be located following the engagement. He was classed as Missing in Action but later was reclassified as captured. He did not return in 1973 with the other released POWs and was declared dead on 05 July 1978. Promoted while in MIA/POW status, Sergeant First Class Johns's remains were repatriated in 1989 and positively identified on 16 April 1991.

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