Sunni Man's High School Friend's Vietnam Misadventure

[Sunni Man]

Clark Vernon Shawnee and I went to school together since the 7th grade. He was a guy who liked to laugh alot and make others laugh.
About a year after graduation from high school I received my draft notice. So in April 1970 I reported to the induction station in my town.
That's when I saw Clark and his big smile. I was so happy to so a friendly face. We were loaded on a bus and taken to the airport in OKC and flew straight to Ft. Lewis in Washington state for basic training.
Clark and I spent 8 weeks there and graduated basic infantry training. After that we were both assigned to different units.

That was the last time I ever saw Clark.

He was one of 9 soldiers to lose their life in Vietnam from my town in Oklahoma.

Miss you good friend



Clark Vernon Shawnee
Private First Class
CASUALTY DATA
Start Tour: Tuesday, 11/10/1970
Cas Date: Sunday, 03/28/1971
Age at Loss: 21
Remains: Body recovered
Location: Quang Tin, South Vietnam
Type: Hostile, died outright
Reason: Misadventure - Ground casualty

ON THE WALL Panel 04W Line 090


On the night of 27/28 March 1971 Fire Support Base (FSB) Mary Ann was occupied by 209 Americans from several units of the Americal Division:
HHC 1/46th Infantry;
C Co 1/46th Infantry;
a Recon Platoon;
elements of a Mortar Platoon;
two 155mm howitzer sections, 3/16th Arty; and
twenty ARVN artillerymen.

At approximately 0230 hours, 28 March 1971, the VC mounted a coordinated mortar and sapper attack. Almost simultaneously with the mortar attack, sappers employed satchel charges and rocket propelled grenades (RPG) to penetrate the FSB's perimeter. Americans in the perimeter bunkers hunkered down until the explosions from the mortar rounds, satchel charges, and RPGs had subsided, but by then the sappers had breached the trench line and were inside the base. Once inside FSB Mary Ann, the sappers struck over half the bunkers.
By the time the VC withdrew, 30 American soldiers were dead and 76 wounded. According to the Department of Defense's casualty database 12 of the 30 dead were killed by friendly fires; the Army's TAGCEN file amplifies that by attributing the deaths to artillery fire.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall - The Virtual Wall®

 

[strollingbones]

thank you for sharing the virtual wall...that is new to me.

 

[GHook93]

Cheers to your fallen friend and American Patriot! May he RIP!



I just hope he was a better man than you!

 

[Sunni Man]

thank you for sharing the virtual wall...that is new to me.

It's a good source for looking up friends, relatives, and fellow soldiers.

I have wanted to make a dedication to Clark Shawnee for years.

I figured today on Veterans Day would be a good time.

 

[Mr. H.]

To your friend, and you, and all veterans.

 

[Sunni Man]

I didn't know untill about a year ago that Clarks death was due to "Misadventure"

This is the Army term for death by friendly fire.

But this friendly fire was no accident.

Fire base Mary Ann was so over ran by the NVA and their sappers.

That one of the officers called in for the artillary to fire directly on their position.

This act saved many of the American soldiers.

But it also killed some of them.

Clark Shawnee was among those who were killed by this last ditch tactic.


The movie Platoon is loosely based on the savage attack on FSB Mary Ann

Where in the final scene, The officer calls in the artillary right down on their heads.

 

[PoliticalChic]

I didn't know untill about a year ago that Clarks death was due to "Misadventure"

This is the Army term for death by friendly fire.

But this friendly fire was no accident.

Fire base Mary Ann was so over ran by the NVA and their sappers.

That one of the officers called in for the artillary to fire directly on their position.

This act saved many of the American soldiers.

But it also killed some of them.

Clark Shawnee.was among those who were killed by this last ditch tactic.


The movie Platoon is loosely based on the savage attack on FSB Mary Ann

Where in the final scene, The officer calls in the artillary right down on their heads.

I hope you'll let me cry with you.

 

[Sunni Man]

I hope you'll let me cry with you.

Thanks Political Chic

I was feeling quite morose as I made this thread.

I guess it showed

 

[Sunni Man]

For those who are interested.

Here is the full story of the bravery, and sheer terror, of FSB Mary Ann

It was the most deadly attack on a single U.S. firebase during the Vietnam War.


"Running down the hallway of the battalion tactical operations center (TOC), Captain Paul S. Spilberg charged into a cloud of tear gas just as he reached the commander’s quarters. Staggering blindly back the way he had come, Spilberg made it to the north exit, crawled up the stairs and out the door into the fresh but bullet-ridden air. Forcing his eyes to focus, the shaken captain was stunned to hear the fire of AK-47s and the crash of rocket-propelled grenades from inside the base’s perimeter. In amazement he watched as numerous small figures darted catlike among the spreading flames. Everywhere he looked he saw the scurrying silhouettes, who were enemy sappers feeding the chain of explosions devouring Fire Support Base Mary Ann on that afternoon in 1971".


to read more......... Deadly Sapper Attack on Fire Support Base Mary Ann During the Vietnam War » HistoryNet

 

[vinegarpie]

Sunni Man,
My name is Glen. I am Clark's nephew (my mom is his oldest sister). It is nice to read someone's first hand experience with Clark. He and I were very close, and I still miss him terribly (my clearest memory is him eating a spoiled green hot dog while laughing his butt off)

My 18 year old son is named after Clark. I was looking for new internet info, about Clark today, as my son's (my 6 year old his named after Clark's brother Lou) and I will be dancing at the Honoring Veteran's powwow here in Wisconsin this weekend in honor of Clark.

Thanks for the dedication to Clark.

 

[Sunni Man]

Sunni Man,
My name is Glen. I am Clark's nephew (my mom is his oldest sister). It is nice to read someone's first hand experience with Clark. He and I were very close, and I still miss him terribly (my clearest memory is him eating a spoiled green hot dog while laughing his butt off)

My 18 year old son is named after Clark. I was looking for new internet info, about Clark today, as my son's (my 6 year old his named after Clark's brother Lou) and I will be dancing at the Honoring Veteran's powwow here in Wisconsin this weekend in honor of Clark.

Thanks for the dedication to Clark.

Wow this was so unexpected.

Hello Glen

Yes, Clark loved to laugh and do silly things to make other people laugh. Your hot dog story sounds just like something he would do.

Growing up I never heard anyone say anything bad about him and I don't remember him ever getting into a fight.

I wish I could attend your Honoring Veterans Pow Wow there in Wisconsin. I went to several Indian pow wow's as a teenager. I know I saw Clark there at a couple of them.

But forget the native dancing. We were mainly there to try and meet girls

Question: It just dawned on me that I never knew what tribe Clark was from?

To everyone he was just Clark.

Was he Shawnee like his last name implies or another tribe?

 

[vinegarpie]

Yeah, Clark's dad was Full Blood Shawnee. Within a few months of Clark's death the whole family ended up moving back to White Oak, OK where our branch of Shawnees are from. I appreciate your story about powwows (especially the girls part), because I have no memory of doing that with Clark, and assumed that we never did anything like that around Ft Sill/Lawton.

The other thing I remember about Clark was that he and his brother Lou (both born in 1950) were so close, and fought all the time. But, Clark never put up with any of the rest of the family arguing or fighting, he either made you laugh, or if that didn't work would just burst out with a loud deep STOP! and you stopped. Definitely something I picked up from him. (even though I was only 5 when he died).

We will thinking about you when we dance tonight.

Glen

 

[eots]

wow !..I am speechless..I feel honored to have in some way shared this moment ..thank you

 

[Sunni Man]

I just ran across this video and song about FSB Mary Ann

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjJ3DKnM2h4]YouTube - MaryAnn[/ame]

 

[Sunni Man]

a Veterans Day bump 11/11/10

Post anything about Veteran friends, relatives, or any thoughts about this day.

Just remember this is a tribute thread and not a political rant thread..

 

[judyd]

There were a couple of guys who I went through school with who lost their lives over there.

I worked at the Naval Hospital during the war and saw firsthand how the fellows' lives had been changed forever. It seemed like the hospital was a sort of "never-never land" because they were all in the same boat, so to speak, and were able to hang out in the cafeteria, flirt with the girls, and not face the outside world yet. One that I remember in particular was a smartass marine who walked around with a cane, and acted like he was God's gift to women. He drove a late model gold Torina and appeared to be quite full of himself. For a few months though, he wasn't in the cafeteria, and the next time I saw him he was sitting alone towards the back of the room. He had had to have the leg removed. It changed him completely. I've often wondered whatever happened to him and if he was ever able to come to terms with it.

The war affected me a lot, and after work I would go downtown to the peace marches.