06 Oct 2001 I do not fear an army of lions, if they are led by a lamb. I do fear an army of sheep, if they are led by a lion. -- Alexander the Great -- Sergeant Robert John Enedy was a lion. Robert Enedy was raised in Redondo Beach, California, and was assigned to the Second Battalion, 4th Marines, in June of 1967. During his tour of duty he received the Bronze Star with Combat "V" for saving the life of a fellow Marine while under fire. When the North Vietnamese Army attacked in April 1968, Robert's unit was involved in the Battle of Dai Do, where he was killed in action. His Silver Star citation says that Robert led his men in assaulting a bunker complex and that even after he was mortally wounded he continued to encourage and direct his men until the moment of his death. His Commanding Officer wrote that Robert's heroic actions were instrumental in defeating the enemy force. If you have any information about Robert please email me. Marian Lakin 10 Nov 2005 VALLEY OF TEARS There is a Valley of Tears that covers this nation - From north to south and east to west see the faces of loved ones lost in senseless war who are filled with pain and sorrow. Hear the restless souls of men and women, long since dead, cry out in anguish - "Please do not forget me!" There is no peace on earth so a familiar song has been sung, nor is there any lasting peace for those who fought, and suffered and even died so long ago. They fought a war that could have been won or lost, to only be sent home in disgrace and to see a nation turn its back on them. An unwanted war, an ungrateful nation, that's long since been swept away like yesterday's news. But there are those who can't and won't forget all those brave souls who fought so well. The memories shall stand forever etched in the minds of those who recall. In the pain and grief-stricken faces of loved ones left behind, those soldiers, those young and brave soldiers who died for this country and those soldiers, who yet live but are tattered and torn in mind, soul and body, yet bravely smile and go on ... will not and shall not be forgotten- even after they have traveled thru the Valley of Tears! I am still interested in hearing from anyone who knew my brother, and I would like to know any information that you have about my brother. Robert John Enedy, but some know him as John. Please feel free to contact me about any information you have about my brother Robert. Thank you, Marian Lakin 11 Mar 2006 I am writing this in honor of my brother, Sgt. Robert J. Enedy. My brother was killed in April 1968 at the age of 22 in the Vietnam War. He received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart, among other medals. He has been gone many years but he is still loved and will not be forgotten. When the Vietnam Moving Memorial Wall came to Joshua Tree in June of 1996 it was the beginning of a new era in my brothers life. My brother Robert J. Enedy was killed in action in 1968 in the Vietnam War. He had always been loved and missed, but I was always afraid he would be forgotten. In June of 1996 when the Wall came to Joshua Tree my grandchildren Brandon, Daniel, Robert, and Marian wanted to know more about their Great Uncle. It was the beginning of a wonderful experience I have shared with my grandchildren. We started to read letters he had mailed home, we would work togther to find letters, pictures and information to share with the readers of the Hi Desert Star (a local newspaper) honoring people in the military. Then my grandchildren started researching on the internet and found internet sites in which we were able to post information and contact people who served with Robert. Through these websites we have been able to contact and correspond with people who served with Robert. They have told us many stories about Robert and how well he was liked by others, he was a man who put others before himself. It warms my heart to know my grandchildern know their Great Uncle Robert and to know he is remembered and loved. I would like to thank my grandchildren Brandon, Daniel, and Robert for all the time they have spent with me remembering and finding these web sites. And I would also like to thank Marian, Jeff, Jon, and Tianna for their help and support. From his sister, Marian Lakin 30 Apr 2006 Robert has been gone 38 years, today April 30th. I am sitting here reading a book a friend of his wrote, about the "Viet Nam Vignettes - Tales of the Magnificent Bastards", it is about Gerald R. Gems. He was there the same time Robert was. It is a hard book for me to read, telling what my brother and the Marines had to go through. I recomend it to anyone who wants to know what happened from 1967 to 1968. Marian From his sister, Marian Lakin d_lakin@msn.com

 

10 Oct 2001 Sergeant Robert J. Enedy was my great uncle, my grandmother's brother. He was killed in Vietnam. He joined the US Marine Corps in San Diego, California, and is buried in Long Beach, California. He was killed during Tet Offensive in 1968. If anyone has any information on my great uncle Robert, please email me. Thank you, Denise cowgirlncali82@aol.com

 

07 Oct 2005 Many thanks to this site for this chance to share information about my brother, and special thanks to Ed Maspero and Clay Marston for their Memorials. I hope there will be many more from his friends as they bring great comfort to his family. I would love to correspond with anyone who knew him. Robert graduated from Fountain Valley High School in 1964. He lived in Fountain Valley with his parents and younger sister, Robert, Nellie, and Kimberly. He drove to San Diego to enlist. The last time I saw my brother was at Camp Pendleton when he took off for Viet Nam. I still have his letters. When he first went over, he was very gun ho; in his last letter he said, "I want to come home." When he did come home, his friend Stan, who was also a Marine, escorted him. Stan stood by him until he was buried, his friendship was the most beautiful I have ever seen. Robert wanted to live; he was going to have a wonderful life. That life was taken from him, most horribly taken from him with a stomach wound. He could have been evacuated and perhaps saved, but he directed that his men leave first. His friend, Ed Maspero, wrote this about him: "Sgt. Robert John Enedy went by the name John. He was the Platoon Sergeant for Second Platoon, Hotel Company, Second Battalion, Fourth Marines, better known as the 'Magnificent Bastards'. "John was an excellent Platoon Sergeant. He cared about his men. Spent much of his time training and inspecting them to assure their readiness. John was a great Marine and a great leader. His men were lucky to have him. "John was killed during the Tet Offense in April 1968. He is buried in Long Beach, California. I have seen his grave and noticed that there are two other Enedy grave markers next to his. I think these are his Mother and Father. "I know that this is not much information for the life of a man, but I only knew John for a short time and only in a very dangerous place. I can remember sometimes just sitting around playing cards, or writing home, but most of all I remember being on Platoon and Company size missions and seeing John controlling and protecting his men. To say what kind of man was John, he was one of the best Platoon Sergeants in the best Company and best Battalion of Marines in Viet Nam. He cared, he shared, he protected and he gave his life for what he believed in." I hope Robert knows how much he is loved, by his men, and by his family. He was an only son, an only brother, and he will always be missed. We are so very proud of him, and so very sad. Paula Mcgee From his half-sister, Paula Mcgee paulamcgee@sbcglobal.net

 

Notes from The Virtual Wall In May of 1968, the North Vietnamese launched what has been called their "Tet II" offensive, striking 119 provincial and district capitals, military installations, and major cities including Saigon. Unlike Tet I, which was primarily a Viet Cong uprising, Tet II was almost entirely an NVA affair. The battle of Dai Do actually began on April 30 with the ambush of a US Navy utility boat by elements of the 320th NVA Division at the junction of the Bo Dieu and Cua Viet rivers. Since Battalion Landing Team 2/4 was in the area, it was ordered to eliminate the threat to the crucial waterway. "The Battle of Dai Do was a fierce and bloody struggle between an understrength Marine battalion landing team (2nd Bn, 4th Marines {BLT 2/4}) and major elements of the 320th North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Division during three hot, humid spring days in 1968 (30 April - 3 May). I was privileged to command those magnificent Marines and Sailors who stopped the well-equipped 320th in its tracks on the north bank of the Bo Dieu River and drove it back toward the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). "I would like to say that our success was part of a carefully orchestrated plan. It was not. We reacted first to hasty orders from higher headquarters, then to targets of opportunity, and finally to one desperate situation after another. That we succeeded was more a tribute to the extraordinary performance of individual Marines and Sailors and their small unit leaders than to brilliance or insight by higher echelons. Bravery, competence, initiative, toughness, and selflessness carried the day." Then-LtCol William Weise, Commanding Officer, BLT 2/4 Brigadier General, USMC, Retired From Memories of Dai Do Faced by three Regiments of the 320th NVA Division, BLT 2/4 was forced to fall back to defensive positions north of the river, but they stopped the enemy attack. NVA reinforcements were turned back by the Army's 3rd Bn, 21st Infantry, Americal Division, who occupied blocking positions at Nhi Ha to the northeast. The NVA attempt to open an invasion corridor into South Vietnam had failed. The "Magnificent Bastards" of 2/4 Marines and the 3/21st Infantry had saved the day, for if they had failed the NVA would have been free to overrun the major supply bases at Dong Ha and Quang Tri and the entire DMZ defenses would have been undermined. However, the cost had been high. The Marines suffered 81 dead and another 297 seriously wounded, while Army forces at Nhi Ha sustained 29 deaths and 130 wounded. But the enemy suffered even greater losses - not only did the NVA fail to achieve their objective, they also left 1,568 bodies on the battlefield. After regrouping, 2/4 Marines were able to field four rifle companies of 1 officer and 40 men each.

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