According to Marine Corps Command Chronlogy for that day, at 0915 hokurs, Golf Company received a heavy volume of automatic weapons fire from 6 to 10 Viet Cong in the vicinity of YD 281518. Fire was returned immediately and an artillery mission fired. The area was searched with negative results. The results of this contact was one US Marine, PFC John C Lerch, killed in action. -- The Virtual Wall

The obituary for John's mother, who passed away on April 14, 2012, starts with: "Mrs. Mary L. (Fauteux) Lerch, age 83, of Utica, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, April 14, 2012 in the comfort of her home. Born in Whitesboro on June 6, 1928, Mary was the daughter of the late Louis and Mary Fauteux. She was raised and educated locally. She was preceded by her husband, John C. Lerch, who passed away on January 27, 1970." In addition to her son John Jr (1967), and John, age 64 (1970), she was preceded in death by her daughter Wendy. Seven (7) year old Wendy was killed on December 27, 1968, when their house caught on fire. She saved her older brother Rickie and 4 of her sisters but perished when she went back into the house to see if all were saved. Mary is survived by her son Rickie and 11 sisters. -- The Virtual Wall

Contact Us

© Copyright 1997-2019 www.VirtualWall.org, Ltd ®(TM)

Last update 08/15/2019