Recon Marines

POW/MIA

POW/MIA

part 1

I'm just a simple old warrior who served in the uniform of this country's military in War who loves to discuss all aspects of life. It is my firm conviction that if one understands what caused the war, how the war was conducted, and the Reconstruction Years that followed, one will know what this country is about.

They came this way but once. Yet, they touched our lives in many ways while they were here. We shall remain eternally grateful for their friendship and for the influence each bestowed upon us.

Remember you are not forgotten while I am still on patrol.

Marines

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 POW/MIA

Sgt Edwin Russell “Russ” Grissett Jr.

SSGT Darrell Eugene Ayers

2LT David William Skibbe

Fort Snelling National Cemetery

Current Status of Unaccounted-for Americans Lost in the Vietnam War. Of the remaining 1,244 Americans still unaccounted for in Vietnam, 470 are in a “non-recoverable” category.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed on the third Friday of September each year.

September 19th, 2025

SUMMARY: On January 21, 1966,

14 Force Reconnaissance Marines were on a patrol in western Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam, searching for signs of Viet Cong activity. While walking atop a steep ridgeline in fog and drenching rain, the Marines were attacked by Communist troops. During the firefight, 1st Lieutenant James T. Egan, Jr., a forward artillery observer accompanying the mission, disappeared. The other Marines searched for him until darkness fell. The next morning, as the 13 remaining Marines tried to find a way down the mountain through the thick fog, Viet Cong insurgents attacked again, resulting in a race down the steep mountainside in near-zero-visibility conditions. The point man, Lance Corporal Edwin R. Grissett, Jr., also disappeared. Neither Egan nor Grissett were ever seen again. Later evidence showed that Grissett was captured and held prisoner by the Viet Cong. He died after nearly three years in captivity.

FULL STORY: The U.S. military spent most of 1965 stabilizing the military situation in South Vietnam (which had been near total collapse) and shoring up the non-Communist Saigon government. But at the beginning of 1966, U.S. leaders planned to bring the full brunt of offensive warfare against those enemy forces still occupying the South Vietnamese countryside. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, and the 3d Marine Division devised a major offensive operation in Quang Ngai Province aimed at destroying the Viet Cong’s ability to fight in the region, named Operation DOUBLE EAGLE. Forces involved included more than seven U.S. Marine Corps battalions and one South Vietnamese Army division. DOUBLE EAGLE had three planned phases. For the first phase, in early and mid-January 1966, reconnaissance troops from the 3d Reconnaissance Battalion deployed to Ba To Special Forces Camp. From that hub, they ventured out to reconnoiter any enemy forces that could be found in a series of search-and-clear actions centered on the Ba To and Tra Cau River valleys.

Fighting in the Fog on Hill 829,
January 21–22, 1966

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The Navy Cross is awarded to Staff Sergeant Darrell E. Ayers, United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Sergeant with the First Force Reconnaissance Company, First Marine Division in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 19 March 1970, Platoon Sergeant Ayers was leading a seven-man patrol on a mission to locate primary enemy infiltration routes in the western section of Quang Nam Province. Two days previously, the aircraft by which the team had been helilifted into the territory had come under intense hostile fire as the Marines were disembarking and, in the intervening period, Staff Sergeant Ayers had skillfully avoided any contact which would compromise his mission. As the Marines approached a small river which was spanned by a bamboo bridge, Staff Sergeant Ayers, realizing the danger of encountering the enemy at this position, moved ahead of the point man and accompanied by another Marine, reconnoitered the approach to the river. When the two men halted to analyze the surrounding terrain, they suddenly came under a heavy volume of automatic weapons fire from enemy soldiers concealed nearby. In an effort to shield his comrade, Staff Sergeant Ayers placed himself between the fusillade of hostile fire and his companion. Mortally wounded moments thereafter, Staff Sergeant Ayers, by his valiant and selfless efforts, was directly responsible for saving the life of a fellow Marine. His heroic actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Looking Back: Remembering Darrell Eugene ‘Gene’ Ayers, U.S. Marine Corps

Staff Sergeant Darrell Eugene Ayers entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Washington and was a member of the 1st Force Reconnaissance Company, 1st Marine Division. On March 19, 1970, he was leading a reconnaissance patrol in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam, when his unit encountered an enemy force of unknown size. During the ensuing firefight, SSgt Ayers was hit numerous times in the chest and head, and the patrol was forced to withdraw under fire before they could determine if SSgt Ayers was still alive. On April 9, a search team was inserted near (GC) ZC 021 600 but was unable to locate SSgt Ayers, and subsequent attempts to locate him were unsuccessful. He remains unaccounted for. Today, Staff Sergeant Ayers is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Deferred.

Sometimes Marines go off to war and come home in a body bag; sometimes they never come home.

Navy Cross : The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant David William Skibbe (MCSN: 0-108861), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company C, First Reconnaissance Battalion, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 2 March 1970, while Second Lieutenant Skibbe was leading a patrol deep in enemy-controlled territory, the team came under a heavy volume of fire from a large hostile force. During the initial moments of the engagement, Second Lieutenant Skibbe observed a wounded man fall in a forward position, and unhesitatingly placed himself between the casualty and enemy soldiers to deliver intense covering fire which forced the enemy momentarily to break contact and enabled the Marines to move the wounded man to a more secure location. While the radio operator was requesting fixed-wing air support, the enemy launched a ground assault in an attempt to overrun the Marine position. Despite the hostile rounds impacting around him, Second Lieutenant Skibbe exposed himself to the enemy fire to direct the defensive activities of his men and, while thus engaged, was severely wounded in the ankle. Although suffering intense pain and unable to walk, he nevertheless skillfully directed the bombing and strafing runs of supporting aircraft with such accuracy that the hostile soldiers broke contact and retreated, thereby enabling a medical evacuation helicopter to come to a safe hover overhead. As Second Lieutenant Skibbe was being hoisted toward the aircraft, the hoist apparatus sustained a malfunction, and he was mortally injured when he fell to the ground. His heroic and determined actions throughout this mission contributed significantly to the defeat of the numerically superior enemy force. By his courage, valiant leadership, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of grave personal danger, Second Lieutenant Skibbe upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.

POW/MIA