"The Grunt"
The work of the grunt was unnoticed by the average American civilian, but for the soldier on the front line who witnessed life and death on a daily basis, he was respected and honored.
To the grunt,
Humping one to two clicks a day through a sun-scorched jungle, wearing an eighty plus pound ruck sack containing C-Rations, LRPS (long range patrol food), water, claymore, machine gun ammo, light infantry tank weapon (LAW) and personal belongings, and carrying a weapon and wearing a steel pot in brain-scorching heat was no party.
But neither was enduring torrential monsoon rains, boot-sucking red clay mud, intense humidity, dehydration, heat exhaustion, sunburn, steaming hot jungles, malaria, dysentery, wait-a-minute vines, and jungle rot.
Then there were the blood-sucking leeches, poisonous spiders, gigantic poisonous centipedes, malaria ridden mosquitoes, fire flies, bush snakes, bamboo pit vipers, scorpions, rats, fire ants, fuck you lizards, re-up frogs, and a thousand other discomforts.
Despite all this the grunt did his job well.
Kern County Vietnam War Memorial
For those who served in Vietnam and gave the ultimate sacrifice. You are never forgotton.
1963
Clayton A. Fannin
1965
Larry S. Pierce ∙ Harry E. Thomas M.I.A. ∙ Edward Jourjon-Roche ∙ Paul E. Rytter
1966
Ernesto Dominguez ∙ Larry J. Cox ∙ Lantham O. Broyles ∙ Michael T. Faust ∙ Billy G. Fry ∙ Ronald J. Kinkeade ∙ Ralph L. Keeler ∙ Danny J. McGriff ∙ Chester L. O’Brien Jr. ∙ Donald E. Gore ∙ Bennie F. Parker ∙ Bobby R. Holley ∙ John W. Perich ∙ Clyde M. Ridgway ∙ Dennis P. Wright ∙ Tommy Jones ∙ James B. Mills (M.I.A.) Mark Corrie Frazwe ∙ George Woodall ∙ Caspar M. Walsh III ∙ Raymond W. Wilson
1967
Roger E. Dalrymple ∙ Alvin R. Bozarth ∙ Donald V. Lawson Jr. ∙ Ronny L. Palmer ∙ Robert J. Calvillo ∙ Thomas P. Brady ∙ Ronald B. Mos ∙ Phillip G. Cantrell ∙ Baldomero A. Nadal ∙ Myron D. Lucas ∙ Albert Graham Jr. ∙ Jerry W. Manning ∙ Jim E. Moshier (M.I.A.) ∙ Luther T. Stowe ∙ Delbert C. Totty ∙ Larry J. Martin ∙ Roger C. Mitchell ∙ Ronald D. Reyes ∙ Steven D. Chambers ∙ James E. Brown ∙ Brent A. Holte ∙ Daniel Tramell ∙ Eric M. Dewey ∙ Thomas Soliz ∙ Walter Blalock
1968
Timothy J. Rizzardini ∙ Richard L. Hatch ∙ Robert B. Ray ∙ George M. Wisham Jr. ∙ William T. Anderson Jr. ∙ Richard L. Vines ∙ Robert G. Washburn ∙ Charles C. Crow ∙ William R. Youngblood ∙ Terry D. Pitts ∙ Gilbert L. Mitchell (M.I.A.) ∙ Winford R. Crabb ∙ Ralph E. Foulks Jr. ∙ James B. Howard ∙ Ferdinand O. Barger Jr. ∙ Donald L. Perry ∙ Henry F. Asuncion ∙ Richard A. Gonzalez ∙ Randolph R. Jones ∙ Donald W. Morris ∙ Gerald G. McGinley ∙ Ernest F. Davidove ∙ Larrie J. Gotcher ∙ Gerald L. Johnson ∙ Larry R. Johnson ∙ Terrece E. Edgar ∙ William E. Stone ∙ Manuel Casares ∙ Robert W. Benson ∙ Henry C. Knight ∙ Romero M. Mora ∙ Joe A. Miranda ∙ Patrick O. Ford ∙ Frank A. Oster ∙ Dennis E. Dyer ∙ Gene K. Ross ∙ Alan R. Duke ∙ Lonnie J. Gay ∙ Ramiro M. Mora
1969
Francisco Villanueva Jr. ∙ Paul Wilson ∙ Leonard L. Alvarado ∙ Michael W. North ∙ Clement Valencia Jr. ∙ Ronald R. Beaman ∙ Christopher C. Webster ∙ Robert L. ∙ Kenneth P. Johnson ∙ Stephen L. Ragsdale ∙ John H. Gordon ∙ Miquel Heredia ∙ Robert A. Banks ∙ Amado Valencia ∙ John S. Pinney ∙ Joey L. Boles ∙ Larry W. Smith ∙ Louis Rodriguez ∙ Calvin G. Hunt ∙ John R. Taylor ∙ Jerry Gore ∙ Melvin Conner Jr. ∙ John T. Baker
1970
Leroy E. Halbert Jr. ∙ Jonny J. Gallardo ∙ John H. Pohlman ∙ Raymond H. Apellido ∙ Ramon A. Hernandez ∙ Arnold G. Garza ∙ Jimmy Carrillo ∙ Jimmy C. Montana ∙ Douglas E. Hobbs ∙ Larry W. Rasey ∙ Frank M. Baca ∙ Steven R. Sandlin ∙ Atilano U. Tovar ∙ Jesse G. Juarez ∙ Gary L. Giles ∙ Robert P. Cote ∙ Jonny F. Roach ∙ Donald B. Smith ∙ John A. Marr
1971
Dennis R. Watterson ∙ Carl Nacca Jr. ∙ John W. McLemore Jr. ∙ Stephen Chavira (M.I.A.) ∙ Mickey E. Eveland ∙ Kenneth H. Jones ∙ Edward J. Lopez ∙ Jose A. Sanchez ∙ Noel B. Witmer ∙ Alan S. Goff
1972
Oscar Herrgesell