18 Mar 2007 I learned of your existence and death in an American Legion article in their monthly magazine for February 2007. I feel you should be honored as should all who paid the ultimate price ... their lives. Rest in peace ... Semper Fi From a friend and fellow veteran, Frank Biscay Iselin, New Jersey bisc928@aol.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall On the night of 21-22 Nov 1965 two ARVN units near Thach Tru were hit by NVA/VC attacks and the 2nd ARVN Division requested a Marine sweep in the area in hopes of bringing the NVA/VC to bay. The 3rd Bn, 7th Marines were alerted and on the morning of 23 Nov air-assaulted into the area. After a two-day sweep which located and destroyed a number of enemy supply points, but which failed to locate the enemy forces themselves, the Marines were withdrawn. The operation did cost the lives of two Marines: VMO-6, MAG-36, 1ST MAW 1stLt Glenn D. Mann, Williamsburg, VA L Co, 3rd Bn, 7th Marines SSgt David G. Benavente, Dededo, Guam The MAG-36 Command Chronology contains the following entry: "VMO-6 Hueys were again launched to fly cover for and H-34 troop lift from CHU LAI to the THACH TRU area. The VC were engaged near the village of VAN LY (1), and there three of the four aircraft received hits from a .50 caliber machine gun which killed one of the co-pilots, Lt Glenn D. MANN. One of the aircraft was hit seriously enough to down it, and replacement parts were flown from KY HA. After repairing the downed aircraft in the field all aircraft then returned without further incident. VMO-6 aircraft flew 65 sorties on this mission." A contemporary newspaper article reported that Ambassador to Thailand Graham A Martin traveled from Bangkok to the battlefront of Chu Lai to attend memorial services for his foster son, 1stLt Glenn Dill Mann, who was killed in action at Chu Lai. A Marine Observation Squadron Six (VMO-6) pilot, 1stLt Mann was hit with machinegun fire while flying an armed Huey helicopter trying to smash a Viet Cong attack on Thach Tru, a government outpost 35 miles south of Chu Lai. His was one of four Hueys credited with smashing two heavy machinegun emplacements which were pivots of the action. After the Memorial Services, conducted in the tent-chapel of Marine Air Group 36 (MAG-36) ambassador Martin was given his foster son's Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, with Palm. Awarded for the lieutenant's valor during the strike, the nedal was presented to the Ambassador by Col Pham Van Phu of the 2nd Army Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Ambassador Martin replaced Ellsworth Bunker in Saigon, presenting his credentials on 20 Jul 1973, and was evacuated with other Americans on 29 Apr 1975, just prior to the surrender of South Vietnam to North Vietnamese forces. He died in 1990.

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