Booklet Memorlizes Middleboro Vietnam War Era Casualties

November 11, 2009

……….A special booklet compiled by Bob Lessard and printed especially for Veterans’ Day, highlighted the lives of Middleboro’s 15 men who died during the Vietnam War era.The booklet was funded by the Middleboro Veterans Council and is available to the public.

……….On this Veteran’s Day we will be highlighting two of Middleboro’s young men who lost their lives during the Vietnam War: William Mark Smith and Robert Francis Townes, Jr. They represent the other 13 men who lost their lives during the Vietnam era.

************************************WILLIAM MARK SMITH, MISSING IN ACTION

…………Reported Missing in Action on March 3, 1969, William Mark Smith, 21, had been serving with Company B, 3rd Battalion Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. He was a Staff Sergeant serving as an Army rifleman.

………..According to government reports, Sergeant Smith disappeared after falling down an embankment while on patrol with his unit about 25 miles East of the city of Kontum. It was reported that he had been captured. In 1973 it was revealed that he died on a trail heading to North Vietnam.

……….Interviews with former prisoners divulged the information that Sgt. Smith had been taken by a Viet Cong prison guard to a latrine. The prisoners heard him shout. The guard told the prisoners that he fell and hit his head and died.

………..The United States government declared him “dead by hostile actions” some three years after the incident. His remains have never been recovered. He is the only Middleboro resident still listed as Missing In Action.

…………He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Smith. He was survived by two brothers, Robert and Richard and three sisters, Susan, Shirley and Sandra. He was a 1967 graduate of Memorial High School.

*******************************ROBERT FRANCIS TOWNES, JR.

……….Born in Brockton on August 2, 1952, son of Robert F. and Mary (Doran) Townes of 99 1/2 Pearl Street, Middleboro, the nineteen-year-old was killed in action at Quang Nam, South Vietnam on July 7, 1972.

……….The government has listed his death as “hostile, died of wounds, ground casualty, misadventure.” Newspaper accounts of his death attribute his loss as “killed….during an enemy artillery barrage.” He was only a few months away from ending his tour, which began on October 17, 1971. He was the last man from Middleboro to lose his life in the Vietnam War.

……….He was serving with A Company, Third Battalion, 21st Infantry Division as an Army enlistee with the rank of Specialist 4th Class (E-4). He enlisted when he was a junior in High school. He earned his diploma through the military’s G. E. D. program.

………..In addition to his parents, he is survived by a sister Patricia, and his grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Edward Townes and Mrs. Pastho Alconada, all of Middleboro.

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……….The stories of the men was researched and compiled by Legionnaire Bob Lessard, parade co-ordinator and the master of ceremonies of this Veteran’s Day ceremony. He was assisted in researching histories of the men by family members and acquaintances of the 15 men.

……….Information was also gained from these valuable resources:- the Middleboro Gazette, the New Bedford Standard-Times, Nebraska’s Oteo Country Museum of Memories, Arthur Picone, Charles Richardson of Bourne High School, the Brockton Enterprise, staff of the Middleboro library, Middleboro Town Clerk Eileen Gates, Paul Provencher Middleboro Veterans agent, Gail Menzell of Pembroke, Maine and many others.

………Here are the biographical notes of the 13 other Middleboro men, who lost their lives during the Vietnam era, and for whom this memorial booklet was dedicated.

**************************ZANE AUBREY CARTER

………………Sergeant Zane Aubrey Carter was a native of Pembroke, Maine, who, with over 18 years in the Air Force and stationed at Otis Air Force Base, had bought a house in Rock Village on Perry Street, where he was living with his family.

………A Technical Sergeant, he was killed on August 3, 1967, while flying as a flight engineer of a C-7B Caribou aircraft, which was shot down by friendly fire by U. S. Army artillery. At the time the plane was flying supplies into a special forces camp at Duc Pho when it was hit by a 155m artillery shell.

………In a twist of irony, a photo of his plane getting blown apart in flight was printed in the New Bedford Standard-Times. His wife saw the picture and didn’t make a connection until a short time later when military officials arrived at her Perry Street home.

………Sergeant Carter was survived by his wife, June Williams Carter; his children, daughter Theresa and son Zane, Jr; a sister Mrs. Laverne Ewer and a brother Keith.

…….A veteran of the Korean War, Sergeant Carter was awarded, posthumously, the Distinguished Flying Cross, five Air Medals and the Purple Heart. His family accepted the medals at a special ceremony at Otis Air Force.

***************************WAYNE MAURICE CARON, MEDAL OF HONOR

………….Wayne Maurice Caron, 21, was killed by shrapnel and small arms fire in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam on July 28, 1968, while he was serving with a Marine Corps unit as a
Navy Hospital Third Class Corpsman.

………..Wayne was awarded the Medal of Honor following his death for his gallant efforts to render aid to wounded Marines. Vice President- Spiro Agnew presented his family with the military’s highest award at a White House ceremony.

……….He was the son of Aime and Lorraine Caron of 49 East Main Street. He was the husband of Theresa, who was five months pregnant and living in Guam when he died.

………. His Medal of Honor citation reads:

……………………….The President of the United States, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to Hospital Corpsman Third Class Wayne M. Caron, United States Navy:….

………..”For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 28 July 1968 while serving as a Platoon Corpsman with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Division during combat operations against enemy forces in the Republic of Vietnam. While on a sweep through an open rice field in Quang Nam Province, Petty Officer’s unit started receiving enemy small-arms fire. Upon seeing two Marine casualties fall, he immediately ran forward to render first aid, but found that they were dead. At this time, the platoon was taken under intense small-arms and automatic weapons fire, sustaining additional casualties. As he moved to the aid of his wounded comrades, Petty Officer Caron was hit in the arm by enemy fire. Although knocked to the ground, he regained his feet and continued to the injured Marines. He rendered medical assistance to the first Marine he reached, who was grievously wounded and undoubtedly was instrumental in saving’s a man’s life. Petty Office Caron than ran toward the second wounded Marine, but was again hit by enemy fire, this time in the leg. Nonetheless, he crawled the remaining distance to yet another injured comrade, when he was struck again by enemy small-arms fire. Courageously and with unbelievable determination, Petty Officer Caron continued his attempt to reach the third Marine until he was killed by an enemy rocket round. His inspiring valor, steadfast determination, and selfless dedication to duty in face of extreme danger, sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.”

**********************************GERALD BRIAN DORR

…….Gerald Brian Dorr, 19, born in Middleboro on January 15, 1948, died of combat wounds on April 15, 1967 in the Da Nang Station hospital from injuries suffered in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam. The military notified his mother Mrs. Josephine (Grant) Dorr of 195 West Grove Street by telegram.

……A Marine Corps Private First Class (E-2), he entered the service on March 28, 1966. He had been assigned to the Headquarters Company of the First Marines when he was wounded.

……..Family survivors were his mother, father Merrill C. Dorr; a brother Robert and three sisters, June, Marilyn and Debbie.

………While serving in the Marine Corps, he penned at age 18, a poem titled “A Man At Eighteen.” It describes a mother’s worry and heartache concerning a soldier son. The poem is highlighted on the Vietnam casualty stone in Middleboro’s Veterans Memorial Park.

…………………………………………… A MAN AT EIGHTEEN
………………………………………A lad, a boy, turned just eighteen
…………………………………….And a man he longs to be
………………………………………Four months of hell he just went through
………………………………………And now he rates the Marine Corps Blues
………………………………………He learns to fight, to main, to kill
………………………………………Even though it’s against his will
………………………………………He will fight a war for us
………………………………………Without a word, a thought, a fuss
………………………………………A mother sits and she cries,
………………………………………For she knows that some must die,
………………………………………And she prays, “Dear God of mine,
………………………………………Save my son, just this time.”
………………………………………Then she sobs and holds her head
………………………………………She just now learned her son is dead……………Gerald Brian Dorr

********************************FRED Z. WASHBURN

……….Army helicopter pilot Fred Z. Washburn was killed when his copter crashed while on a rescue mission in Quang Tin Province on October 1, 1968. He was the son of the late Zimri T. Washburn and Margery of Fuller Street.

……….He was a graduate of Middleboro Memorial High School Class of 1962. He enrolled in 1964 in Wentworth Institute where he took an aircraft course. He earned his pilot wings after graduating from the Army’s Officer Candidate School as a 2nd Lieutenant.

……….He was assigned as a First Lieutenant with the 71st Assault Helicopter Company when he died.

*******************************WILLIAM J. MORRISON

……..Marine Lance Corporal William J. Morrison had just over a month to serve in Vietnam when he was killed in action leading a squad in Quang Nam Province on November 1, 1968. He was serving with the 5th Marine Division.

……..The previous February he had been wounded in the City of Hue, while searching for snipers.

………His mother told the Brockton Enterprise that in his last letter home he wrote, “ I miss apple pie…and please save Christmas until I get home.”

…….He was survived by his parents William and Eleanor Morrison of 6 Alden Street; a brother Francis and a sister Eileen. The scoreboard at Batis Field is dedicated to him.

*********************************RICHARD DICKY OLSON

……..Richard Dicky Olson, 19, born in Middleboro on September 30, 1949, was serving his second tour of duty when he died in a helicopter crash during a combat operation on December 18, 1968.

…….He was an Army SP-4 and was copter door gunner and reportedly died as a results of wounds in the crash in Binh Duong Province. He was serving with the 1st Aviation Brigade, 173rd Helicopter Company.

…….The son of Lawrence Olson with whom he was living in Marshfield and Mrs. Raymond Stairs of Plymouth Street.

***********************************WILLIAM FREDERICK HITCHCOCK

……………A 1967 graduate of Middleboro Memorial High School, William F. Morrison was a teacher at Assawompsett School in Lakeville, where he was teaching elementary education when he entered the service.

………….He was a U.S. Army Private First Class when he was killed in action by multiple fragmentation wounds in Cu Chi in Tay Ninh Province on April 15, 1969. He was 23 years-old and had been in Vietnam a little over two months.

………….He left his wife Janet Ann (Washburn); his parents, Robert W. and Ethelwyn (Morris) Hitchcock; a sister Carol J.; and three brothers, Richard, Donald and Robert and his grandmother, Mrs. Harry Morris.

*******************************VINCENT J. FALCONEIRI

………..A veteran of Vietnam, Vincent J. Falconeiri, 21, had served with the Air Force in that country from Sept 7, 1967 through august 15, 1968. While in Vietnam he was assigned as a munitions specialist with the 435th Munitions Squadron of the 35th Tactical, Fighter Wing.

………..He had earned the Air Force Commendation medal while stationed in Vietnam for “his outstanding professional skill and initiative which aided immeasurably in identifying and solving problems in the accomplishment of his duties.”

………..An Air Force Staff Sergeant he was killed in a car accident on May 4, 1969 in Salt Lake City. He had been stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah with the 2728th Airmunitions Squadron when he died.

…………He was survived by his parents Phillip J. and Margaret (Morrone) Falconeiri’ a sister Donna; a brother, Dominic and his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Vincent Marrone.

********************************DOUGLAS ROBERT MORHMANN

……….Twenty-one year old Douglas R. Morhmann, a graduate of the Class of 1966 at Bourne High School, was killed in action by small arms fire on March 18, 1968 in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam. He had been in Vietnam since April 1967 and had only about two months left in his tour when he was killed.

………..His family moved to Middleboro about 18 months before his death and were living at 181 North Street. He had joined the Marine Corps in August 1966 and was serving as a Marine Lance Corporal when he died.

………..He was survived by his parents; a sister Judy; and two brothers, Eric and Terry.

*********************************HUBERT BRADFORD LOHEED

………He was actually the first Middleboro man to lose his life in the Vietnam War. He was shot down by ground fire and crashed in North Vietnam, while flying a single- seat A-4C Skyhawk and leading a flight of four aircraft on February 1, 1966.

……… He was listed as “missing in action.” He had serving as Commander of Attack Squadron 146 flying from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-61).

……….Nine years later, in a July 1975 release, it was reported by the Navy Department that he was “presumed killed” in the crash. While missing he was promoted to Captain (O6).

………It was nearly 28 years later, August 23, 994, that his remains were identified and returned to the United States. He was buried with full military honors in November 1994.

……He was a 1942 graduate of Middleboro Memorial High School. After graduation, he attended Randall School, a preparatory academy in Washington, D. C. He then entered the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in June of 1944.

…….He was the son of Arthur I. and Myrtle G. Loheed of Pleasant Street.

*********************************LARRY LEE STONER & ROGER P. KAY

……….Two Middleboro connected men, who were serving during the Vietnam era at Otis Air Force Base, lost their lives on November 11, 1966, when the radar plane they were flying crashed. The plane, an EC-121-H, known as a “Connie” was loaded with electronic surveillance equipment and carrying 19 crew members when it crashed about 125 miles off the coast of Nantucket.

..... The 19 personnel were assigned to the 551st Airborne Early Warning & Control Wing stationed at Otis. No bodies were recovered.

……..Among those airmen losing their lives were Larry Lee Stoner, 20, and Roger P. Kay, 21, who were living in Middleboro at the time of their deaths. The men were married to Middleboro cousins both expectant mothers.Widowed by the crash were Loretta (Vaughan) Stoner and Beverly (Hudon) Kay.

…………Stoner was the son of Harry C. and Louise M. (Biedleman) Stoner of Valley Street, Enola, Pennsylvania.

………..Roger Paul Kay was the son of Robert and Lucille (Hanson) Kay of 113 Pierce Avenue, Niagara Falls, New York.

*******************************DAVID LESLIE BELLERIVE

…………David Leslie Bellerive was a graduate of the Class of 1966 Middleboro Memorial High School. He enlisted in the U. S. Army on February 20, 1968. After basic training at Fort Dix, he transferred to Fort Polk in Louisiana. He was deployed from there to Vietnam on July 21, 1968 and assigned to the 25th Infantry Division, 27th Infantry Battalion.

……….David was killed by a booby trap explosion while on patrol in Bing Duong Province on January 19, 1969. He was 20 years old.

……….He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman L. Bellerive. Survivors included his parents; four brothers, Paul, John, Robert and Wayne’ and three sisters Melanie, Doris and Sandra.
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