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Florentino John Santana
Private First Class
D CO, 1ST BN, 26TH MARINES, 3RD MARDIV, III MAF United States Marine Corps Elgin, Illinois June 20, 1947 to September 18, 1966 FLORENTINO J SANTANA is on the Wall at Panel 10E, Line 115 |
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Seasons In The SunGoodbye to you, my trusted friend.We've known each other since we were nine or ten. Together we climbed hills or trees. Learned of love and ABC's, skinned our hearts and skinned our knees. Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die, when all the birds are singing in the sky, Now that the spring is in the air. Pretty girls are everywhere. When you see them I'll be there. We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun. But the hills that we climbed were just seasons out of time. Goodbye, Papa, please pray for me, I was the black sheep of the family. You tried to teach me right from wrong. Too much wine and too much song, wonder how I get along. Goodbye, Papa, it's hard to die when all the birds are singing in the sky, Now that the spring is in the air. Little children everywhere. When you see them I'll be there. We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun. But the wine and the song, like the seasons, all have gone. Goodbye, Michelle, my little one. You gave me love and helped me find the sun. And every time that I was down you would always come around and get my feet back on the ground. Goodbye, Michelle, it's hard to die when all the bird are singing in the sky, Now that the spring is in the air. With the flowers ev'rywhere. I whish that we could both be there. We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun. But the stars we could reach were just starfishes on the beach. - Terry Jacks - © - Reproduced under 17 USC ï¿ 1/2 107
From his daughter, |
A Note from The Virtual WallDuring the summer of 1966 the North Vietnamese Army's 324B Division had infiltrated south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with the clear intention of setting up a major presence in northern Quang Tri Province. The NVA 341st Division was positioned within and north of the DMZ and prepared to support the 324B Division and/or exploit opportunities arising from the 324B's operations.CG 3rd MAF, the senior US commander in northern South Vietnam, initiated Operation HASTINGS aimed at discouraging the 324B Division and forcing it back into the DMZ (at the time, US forces could not enter into the DMZ - it was an NVA sanctuary). Heavy fighting continued through July 1966, particularly around the "Rockpile" between Khe Sanh and Camp Carroll. HASTINGS ended, and a series of recon-in-force operations - termed Operation PRAIRIE - began on 03 August 1966. Operation DECKHOUSE IV was conducted by the 7th Fleet's Special Landing Force Bravo (Battalion Landing Team 1/26) as an adjunct to Operation PRAIRIE. BLT 1/26's area was about 8 miles northeast of Dong Ha, and the operation began with an amphibious landing and a heliborne landing some six miles inland west of Highway 1. At about 1330 15 Sep 1966, a recon team made contact with an NVA company. That contact was the first in what became ten days of heavy fighting for BLT 1/26's Marines and sailors. Although DECKHOUSE IV officially ended on the 18th, BLT 1/26 stayed in support of PRAIRIE until the 25th. The operation claimed at least 200 NVA killed at a cost of 37 Marines and sailors killed in action and another 167 wounded. The dead were
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