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Remembering the Last Marine to Die in Vietnam, 40 Years After the Fall of Saigon
Boston Globe ^ | APRIL 30, 2015 | By Kristin Toussaint

Posted on 05/01/2015 2:55:05 PM PDT by Brad from Tennessee

When Corporal Charles McMahon was killed in a rocket attack by North Vietnamese troops, his home town of Woburn, Massachusetts felt the aftershocks. He was 21-years-old, had been deployed for less than two weeks, and was killed just one day before the Fall of Saigon ended the Vietnam war.

Massachusetts had already lost 1,330 service members to the war, including the first killed-in-action casualty, Air Force TSgt. Richard Fitzgibbon Jr. of Stoneham. His son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard Fitzgibbon III, was killed in action nine years later, making them the sole father and son service member casualties in Vietnam.

McMahon and his comrade, 19-year-old Corporal Darwin Judge from Iowa, were the last two U.S. service members to die on the ground. These scars bookend the Vietnam war; The Fitzgibbon family lived about two miles away from the McMahon’s, according to his childhood best friend George Holland. . .

(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News
KEYWORDS: coldwar; marine; vietnam

1 posted on 05/01/2015 2:55:05 PM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
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To: Brad from Tennessee

“McMahon and his comrade”

comrade? This is to be expected from the Boston Globe.

From wiki: Comrade means “friend”, “colleague”, or “ally”. The word comes from French camarade, from Spanish and Portuguese camarada, originally meaning “chamber mate”, from Latin camera “chamber, room”. The term is frequently used by left-wing organizations around the globe. “Comrade” has often become a stock phrase and form of address. This word has its regional equivalents available in many languages. The phrase has often become associated with Communist countries, especially the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries. Such a friendship is called camaraderie or comradery.


2 posted on 05/01/2015 3:00:02 PM PDT by Steven Scharf
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To: Brad from Tennessee

The Vietnam War ended with the Paris Accords in 1973, following the decimation of the NVA during the 1972 Easter Offensive.

The invasion of the Republic of South Vietnam in 1975 was a new war.


3 posted on 05/01/2015 3:10:39 PM PDT by Dead Dog
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To: Steven Scharf

Actually, no. “Comrade in arms” has been our vocabulary for a long while.


4 posted on 05/01/2015 3:26:30 PM PDT by Chainmail (A simple rule of life: if you can be blamed, you're responsible.)
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To: Steven Scharf

Really? I’ve heard vets refer to each other as comrades since I was a kid.

Did something change since the 60s?


5 posted on 05/01/2015 3:36:19 PM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: Brad from Tennessee

Sad ......

Fitzgibbon was not killed in action, but rather was murdered by another American airman.[3] Earlier that day Fitzgibbon was serving as the crew chief on an aircraft when he had an angry argument with one of the crew. When the airman went off duty he began drinking heavily at a club at the base. When he exited the club, he saw Fitzgibbon playing with some local children. The airman drew his sidearm and shot Fitzgibbon, who died from his wounds on June 8, 1956.[4]


6 posted on 05/01/2015 3:42:32 PM PDT by Squantos ( Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet ...)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

While the Marines bodies were left behind in a hospital morgue, the were recovered through diplomatic negotiations the following year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_McMahon_and_Darwin_Judge

Some years ago I had the opportunity to speak with a fellow Marine who had been a platoon sergeant in one of the BLT rifle companies sent to secure Tan Son Nhut airport during the evacuation. During our discussion, he related that the two MSG Marines had been standing post at one of the airport entrance gates and were killed instantly by shrapnel when a large caliber NVA artillery round or rocket landed just outside their position.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Frequent_Wind#Tan_Son_Nhut_under_attack


7 posted on 05/01/2015 4:10:36 PM PDT by Captain Rhino (Determined effort today forges tomorrow)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

These two were the last Marines to die on the ground, from enemy action. However, the two pilots of a Marine CH-46 flying plane guard during the evacuation of Saigon on April 29, 1975, Capt William Nystul and 1st Lt Mike Shea were killed when their helo flew into the water. Thankfully, the two enlisted crewmen survived. The bodies of the pilots were never recovered.

They had been flying plane guard duty in case any of the South Vietnamese helos, mostly (all?) Hueys, ran out of fuel before reaching the aircraft carrier, the USS Hancock. They were at extreme range and most were overloaded. From what I’ve been able to learn, Nystul & Shea had been flying all day and into the night. Several times they had tried to land to refuel, only to be booted off the deck due to an approaching South Vietnamese Huey.

It is uncertain why they flew into the water; extreme fatigue leading to disorientation (over water, at night) or possible out of fuel and flamed out.

Mike Shea & I went through Basic School and Flight School together. He stood behind me in our platoon formation at Basic School. Our wives delivered our first children, at Pensacola, within a week of each other. (something in the water at Quantico) Mike Shea was a good friend, a good pilot and a good Marine.

Semper Fi!


8 posted on 05/01/2015 6:50:45 PM PDT by BwanaNdege
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To: Brad from Tennessee

According to Roger Stone, LBJ and Lady Bird made about $30 million on the Vietnam war.


9 posted on 05/01/2015 7:48:17 PM PDT by Arthur McGowan
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To: BwanaNdege

Thank you for these memories.


10 posted on 05/03/2015 9:57:39 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee (A politician can't give you anything he hasn't first stolen from you.)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

You are welcome. Thanks for appreciating Mike Shea and all the other good men (and women) who have given all for this country. Prayers for their widows, orphans, parents, siblings, friends, all who miss them.

“For those who have fought for it, Life (freedom) bears a savor the protected will never know.”


11 posted on 05/03/2015 1:38:11 PM PDT by BwanaNdege
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