01 Jun 2005 Victor wrote to me and said while on patrol they got shot up pretty badly. His commanding officer or platoon leader was killed. It was left to him to bring his squad back to base camp and return the next day to retrieve their dead. In a few letters he mentioned how they were ordered to take a hill or a village. They would lose a few men and were then told to pull back. A few days later they were told to retake that same hill or village and then would again be pulled back. He also mentioned little children coming into camp on bikes and they would be wired to blow up in camp. Victor was very upset about the war and how our government was running it. Victor was wounded once before he was killed. He was shot and sent to Hawaii to recooperate. This time was spent as a vacation with his fiance Patti Diaz. He took many photos and sent letters to his family. He was looking forward to coming home. Unfortunately, he died three months later on June 5, 1968 in Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam, as a result of gunshot wounds to the body from hostile rifle fire while on an operation.

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall Operation Allenbrook was a "clear and destroy" operation conducted in Quang Nam Province. On 05 June 1968 the 1st Battalion, 27th Marines, lost ten men in action - eight of them from Charlie 1/27: LCpl Rodney R. Bernard, Garden City, MI LCpl Felix R. Bocanegra, Venice, CA LCpl Kenneth P. Hutchinson, Huntington, WV (Silver Star) Pfc James J. Allen, Philadelphia, PA Pfc Victor J. Canales, Fennville, MI Pfc Claude M. George, Hammond, IN Pfc Terry L. Mulkey, Smyrna, GA Pvt Richard L. Vinge, Seattle, WA

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