The 5th Marine Regiment is known as the Fighting 5th and in Vietnam, they fought hard in unimaginable conditions.
When the war was over, 2,706 Marines from the 5th and the Navy Corpsman that served beside that regiment had died in Vietnam.
At Camp Pendleton's Memorial Garden Monday the 5th Marines Vietnam War Memorial honoring those service members was dedicated in front of a crowd that included Gold Star families and Vietnam Veterans.
Vietnam Veteran Phil Millard told NBC 7, “I have two friends that I went to school with that are on that wall and to be here and honor them is what it's all about.”
Their name, rank and date of their death are etched in stone panels. The sister of a Marine, Russell Brown, told NBC 7 he had just turned 21 days before he died on December 23rd, 1969, two days before Christmas. She said he loved to ride motorcycles.
John Mullen said he came for the dedication because he lost 16 men in battle. Hit by an RPG, he was medically retired during Vietnam. He said the men he lost are always on his mind. “We’re closer with these men in combat than our wives.”
The Monument and Memorial took years to build at a cost of $400,000 dollars which was paid for by donations. All of the details had to be verified.
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Steve Colwell is one of the veterans that made it happen. A platoon leader, he told NBC7 he too lost men in battle. The pain still apparent as he reflects on his time in Vietnam and the effort to make this memorial a reality. “So it was up close and personal for me being an infantry officer and Vietnam.”
As Gold Star families find the names of their loved ones they tell the veterans who made it happen including author and historian Nicholas Warr that they are grateful they have this memorial in Southern California that honors the sacrifices these troops made in Vietnam.
