06 Aug 2005 RODOLFO MARCIANO GONZALEZ REST IN PEACE. DESCANSA EN PAZ. Rodolfo (Rudy) and I attended school together. We were from the barrio. He joined the Corps before I did. I never got the chance to meet him while in the Corps. Rudy was a gunner on a chopper from what I was told. When I returned from my first tour of duty to "el valle" his cousin and a close friend of mine, Chuy Ramos, asked me if I could be a pallbearer for Rudy's funeral. He asked because I was a Marine and he wanted someone who knew Rudy in the Marine Detail. At first, I was sad to hear that he had been killed in Vietnam. I quickly but hesitantly agreed. I had just arrived from Vietnam and my uniforms were not ready, but nonetheless, I had to get my "greens" ready even if they did not have the NCO stripes. At the funeral services, I learned that Rudy had died on November 14, 1966. I was still in the bush at the time his chopper went down. I wondered why it had taken so long for his body to arrive. I remember Rudy being quiet and very strict. He was the punctual type. Good Marine material. Arturo Garza sgteseusmc@yahoo.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall Three men from VMO-6 died on 14 November 1966 when their UH-1E (BuNo 151873) was shot down while conducting a strafing run: Capt Leon G. Chadwick, Raleigh, NC, pilot (Silver Star) Sgt Daniel M. Bennett, Boynton Beach, FL, aircrewman Cpl Rodolfo M. Gonzalez, Harlingen, TX, aircrewman

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