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    Marine battalion honors fallen brothers who fought in Vietnam

    Marine battalion honors fallen brothers who fought in Vietnam

    Photo By Sgt. Corey Dabney | Joseph Daily, a former sergeant who served with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st...... read more read more

    MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, CA, UNITED STATES

    11.15.2012

    Story by Lance Cpl. James Gulliver 

    1st Marine Division

    MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Lieutenant Colonel Bradford W. Tippett, the commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, said “those of us who fill the ranks of [our battalion] today draw strength from the lineage that proceeds us.”

    Tippett and his battalion honored their predecessors who fought in the Vietnam War with a memorial dedication ceremony here Nov. 15. The memorial is dedicated to the 654 Marines and sailors who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the war while serving with 3rd Bn., 1st Marines.

    Jim Lupori, a retired Marine captain and rifle platoon commander in the battalion’s Mike Company during Vietnam, emphasized the adversity his Marines faced on a daily basis.

    “We were involved in a lot of combat over there – a lot,” Lupori said.

    Lupori, a native of Akron, Ohio, served in Vietnam from 1966-1968 during which time his Marines participated in Operations Double Eagle and Colorado.

    During Operation Double Eagle, Lupori and his platoon thwarted an enemy ambush, killing 12 of the attackers. His actions on that day earned him a Bronze Star with a combat distinguishing device.

    Lupori also earned a Navy Commendation Medal with a combat distinguishing device for fearlessness in the face of enemy fire during Operation Colorado where his Marines rooted out enemy resistance in southern Quang Ngai province.

    Many of the Marines from Mike Company did not make it home, suffering 199 killed in action during the war.

    “It is important for our younger Marines to see this plaque, that way they know the rich heritage they must uphold,” Lupori said.

    As Lupori and Col. Willard Buhl, the commanding officer of Wounded Warrior Regiment and former commander of 3rd Bn., 1st Marines, unveiled the 600-pound solid bronze plaque, they revealed the names of 654 Marines and sailors who fought and died in Vietnam between January 28, 1966 and May 7, 1971.

    “This memorial plaque strengthens the connection between the Marines and sailors of 3rd Bn., 1st Marines, across generations,” said Tippett, a native of San Antonio. “The ceremony is an opportunity for the men of the battalion who served in Vietnam to honor their brothers who fell during their service in Vietnam.”

    Across the bottom of the plaque was etched “REST IN PEACE BROTHERS … YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 11.15.2012
    Date Posted: 11.16.2012 19:11
    Story ID: 97972
    Location: MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US

    Web Views: 1,214
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN