|
The 7th Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division had made contact with elements of a reinforced North Vietnamese Division just west of Charlie Ridge in the infamous A Shau Valley.
Lance Corporal Steven W. Boegli, (he was promoted to Corporal 6 days earlier), was to take a squad of Marines into the valley; his mission was to head off any NVA units that would have gotten away from the advancing 7th Marines.
His unit made contact with an NVA platoon. After a hellacious fire fight, his Marines were able to get the enemy to literally drop their weapons and run.
Boegli brought back an array of captured weapons, maps and documents that the fleeing "Charlie" had left behind. Back on Hill 55, where we operated from and we called home, Boegli turned in his after-action report to the company gunnery sergeant.
Boegli and the other Marines were dead tired from their three-day mission in the A Shau Valley. He was to return to Da Nang the next day, but he was going to get some rest first and spend that evening on Hill 55 with us.
The "gunny" came to me and requested a Marine who could drive a water truck and deliver the water to Hill 65, located several miles to the south of us.
Boegli was lying on his cot, still wearing his "Cammies" (camouflage uniform) and boots. He got up, got in the truck and drove off. As he drove past me he gave me this "why me" look.
Within a matter of minutes, we heard a thunderous explosion at the bottom of the hill. Boegli was dead, his truck had run over a 500-pound command-detonated mine.
As I reflect back to that day, it seems like only yesterday. This great country had lost a true hero. The Marine Corps had lost a Marine. And back home, a family had lost a son.
That day we had no time to cry, no time to ask why. As Marines, we had other missions to go on, and other Marines would die before and after Boegli. But this is about Boegli.
It was May 11, 1970, when this happened. It has been 29 years and as one's hair starts to gray and your heart turns to "mush," I've had time to reflect on how Boegli has had an effect on my life. Over the years, my lovely wife would often ask me when I was quiet and had that thousand-yard stare, what I was thinking. I could never find the words. But I often wanted to share this story with anybody who would listen. Would they understand?
That day, my life would forever change. I would forever be thankful for knowing Boegli. He gave the ultimate sacrifice. He gave his all. He gave his life.
On this Memorial Day, as I drive around and see the Stars and Stripes waving in the wind, I'm reminded that we, as Americans, cannot ever forget the sacrifices men like Boegli have made for this great country and our way of life. Each day I pray that the good Lord has embraced Boegli's soul.
Thanks Boegli. I will never forget. Semper Fidelis (always faithful). |
|