3RD MARDIV

4TH MARINES

Tommy Neal Miller

Corporal
E CO, 2ND BN, 4TH MARINES, 3RD MARDIV
United States Marine Corps
19 July 1949 - 25 February 1969
Bethalto, Illinois
Panel 31W Line 053

Purple Heart, National Defense, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Campaign

The database page for Tommy Neal Miller

18 Jun 2008

A school friend remembered
Carol

From a friend.
E-mail address is not available.

A Note from The Virtual Wall

Fire Support Bases NEVILLE and RUSSELL were west of Cam Lo, with NEVILLE the westernmost of the two. In late February 1969, NEVILLE was occupied by Golf Btry 3/12 with Hotel Company, 2/4 as a security force. Five miles to the east, FSB RUSSELL had Hotel and Mortar Btries, 3/12, and elements of 2/4 as a security force - primarily Echo 2/4, but also elements of H&S Company.

In the early morning hours of 25 Feb 1969 both bases were hit hard by NVA sappers - about 200 from the 246th NVA Regiment at NEVILLE and an equal number from the 27th NVA Regiment at RUSSELL. In each case the attacks began with heavy mortar fire and supporting artillery fire from within the DMZ, followed by a ground attack clearly intended to destroy the artillery pieces in their gun pits. In each case the enemy partially overran the base, and in each case the Marines drove them out again. When the sun rose, the Marines had over three dozen dead and 100+ wounded, while there were 61 enemy bodies inside the two perimeters - but the guns had sustained no serious damage and were firing.

The 29 Americans killed at FSB RUSSELL were

  • H Btry, 3rd Bn, 12th Marines
    • LCpl Kenneth R. Gilliam, Lexington, KY
    • LCpl Norman W. Kellum, Corpus Christi, TX
    • LCpl Donald R. Lewis, Maysville, KY
    • LCpl Larry W. Liss, Oroville, CA
    • LCpl Gerald Przybylinski, Buchanan, MI
    • LCpl Larry J. Sikorski, Fairmount, ND
    • Pfc Marion W. Lyons, Brentwood, AR
    • Pfc James D. Peschel, Boulder, CO
    • Pfc David L. Rutgers, Marshalltown, IA

  • Mortar Btry, 3rd Bn, 12th Marines
    • HM2 Kenneth Davis, Zanesville, OH

  • E Co, 2nd Bn, 4th Marines
    • 2ndLt William H. Hunt, Merritt Island, FL (Silver Star)
    • Cpl Tommy N. Miller, Bethalto, IL
    • LCpl James D. Logan, Flint, MI
    • LCpl Bruce A. Saunders, Roanoke, VA
    • Pfc Robert A. Coffey, Greensburg, KY
    • Pfc Michael L. Jenkins, Covington, VA
    • Pfc Randolph R. Ramsey, Williamsfield, OH
    • Pfc Allen M. Sharp, Covington, KY

  • H&S Co, 2nd Bn, 4th Marines
    • HN Donald K. Walsh, East Lyme, CT
    • Pfc Robert H. Brogan, Cincinnati, OH
    • Pfc Odell Dickens, Whitakers, NC
    • Pfc Douglas B. Forsberg, Minneapolis, MN
    • Pfc Juan Gaston, New York, NY
    • Pfc Robert A. McCarthy, Alden, NY
    • Pfc Norman R. Surprenant, Plainfield, CT (Bronze Star "V")
    • Pfc Robert H. Trail, Baltimore, MD
    • Pfc James E. Tucker, Miami, FL
    • Pfc George W. Weldy, Amarillo, TX
    • Pvt Michael A. Harvey, Milwaukee, WI (Silver Star)
There were 14 dead Marines at FSB NEVILLE - 11 infantrymen from 2/4 and 3 artillerymen from 3/12.


The point-of-contact for this memorial is
a school friend.
E-mail address is not available.



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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Memorial first published on 18 Jun 2008
Last updated 11/13/2010