Re: Search -- War Stories!

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Date Posted: Fri, March 16 2007, 21:10:04
Author: Jeff Northridge
Author Host/IP: adsl-75-45-97-86.dsl.scrm01.sbcglobal.net / 75.45.97.86
Subject: Re: Search
In reply to: Jack Shepherd 's message, "Search" on Fri, March 16 2007, 10:10:50

Howdy Jack;

The Coffelt KIA Database says that SGT Jessie Charles Alba's unit was D Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). SGT Alba's MOS was 11B4P (Light Weapons Infantryman, Airborne Qualified). He was KIA on 5/25/68 in Thua Thien Province due to "Hostile, Ground Casualty, Multiple Fragmentation Wounds".

There is a tribute to SGT Alba on the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Wall Page which says:

"KEN WALDEN
SARGE WAS MY SQUAD LEADER
"SCREAMING EAGLE"
HE WAS 100% PARATROOPER! HE IS PART OF MY EVERYDAY LIFE.I WILL NEVER FORGET HIM!SARGE SOMETIMES I CAN HEAR YOUR CALL ,SAFE IN YOUR REFUGE ,BEHIND THE "WALL".
Thursday, January 10, 2002"

Unfortunately, Mr. Walden left no contact information. The only homepage for the 1st/501st that I can find is at http://unitpages.military.com/unitpages/unit.do?id=101248 . They have 309 members on their roster, but not very many of them have dates of service which overlap 1968. You could try posting a message there. In addition, there is a website dedicated to A/1st/501st (same battalion but different company) at http://geronimo-vietnam.com/ and they have a guestbook where you could leave a message. Some of those guys may have some usefull information.

I took the time to check and see if there were any other GIs KIA on the same date, in the same province, and from the 101st because sometimes I can get additional information if they are related to same incident, but there aren't any. There are four other Army personnel who were KIA in Thua Thien Province on 5/28/68, but they were all from the 82nd Airborne Division and died of "Gun, Small-Arms Fire". SGT Alba's death appears to be an isolated incident. To be sure you would have to request a copy of the Company Morning Report for D/1st/501st from the National Archives and Records Administration for losses incurred on 5/25/68. There will be no other KIAs, but there might be some WIAs (with their names and ranks) who were wounded badly enough to be officially transfered to a hospital. Check the military map coordinates of each to see if they're related with respect to location. Good luck!

Note: There were over 304,000 WIAs in Vietnam, but obtaining information on them is very difficult for the general public (like myself) unless you happen to be a next-of-kin or know the individual's unit down to the company level.

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Correction -- Jeff Northridge, Fri, March 16 2007, 21:49:19 (adsl-75-45-97-86.dsl.scrm01.sbcglobal.net/75.45.97.86)