Warren Peter Ritsema

The database page for Warren Peter Ritsema

05 Aug 2006 You are gone but you are not forgotten! From a family friend, Carolynn ( Cumings) Favreau cartom@marktwain.net

A Note from The Virtual Wall On the night of 27/28 March 1971 Fire Support Base (FSB) Mary Ann was occupied by 209 Americans from several units of the Americal Division: HHC 1/46th Infantry; C Co 1/46th Infantry; a Recon Platoon; elements of a Mortar Platoon; two 155mm howitzer sections, 3/16th Arty; and twenty ARVN artillerymen. At approximately 0230 hours, 28 March 1971, the VC mounted a coordinated mortar and sapper attack. Almost simultaneously with the mortar attack, sappers employed satchel charges and rocket propelled grenades (RPG) to penetrate the FSB's perimeter. Americans in the perimeter bunkers hunkered down until the explosions from the mortar rounds, satchel charges, and RPGs had subsided, but by then the sappers had breached the trench line and were inside the base. Once inside FSB Mary Ann, the sappers struck over half the bunkers. By the time the VC withdrew, 30 American soldiers were dead and 76 wounded. According to the Department of Defense's casualty database 12 of the 30 dead were killed by friendly fires; the Army's TAGCEN file amplifies that by attributing the deaths to artillery fire.

The point-of-contact for this memorial is a family friend, Carolynn (Cumings) Favreau cartom@marktwain.net

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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Memorial first published on 05 Aug 2006
Last updated 09/26/2009