Before TET my platoon was detached from Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, split into two squads with their sergeant squad leaders assigned to my drunk Platoon Sergeant by our wing knocker 1st Lt. company commander. One of my squads was given to me with another fourteen Marines from other units. We were assigned to reinforce two small CAP units to defend two Highway #1 bridges in villages separated by about five miles south of Hue. Obviously, the Marine Corps knew something was brewing in Northern I Corps.

We defended the bridge closest to Hue and my platoon sergeant defended the bridge to our South. As I told you before my senior men were two corporals. Although good fire team leaders, none knew how to deploy a reinforced squad on night patrols or to plot and call artillery and air support. With only one radio and the activity in the area, there was no time for on the job training. I lead each patrol outside the wire.

Our bridge split a small hamlet. The hamlet was surrounded by an old uncleared mine field. The only access in and out of our hamlet was a path we cleared on the West side of the hamlet and North and South on the Hwy 1 roadbed. Many times when we would return from a night ambush we would be mortared as we passed through the wire.

During the weeks leading up to and after the start of TET I lead active patrols, including night ambushes. During that time I had a four separate injuries in the following order: knife wound to the left thigh, shrapnel wound to the left leg and both arms, shrapnel wound to left side of my face-including left eye, gunshot wound to the left hand and finally a RPG wound to the left shoulder. The first three took place over two weeks and the second two within two days. I had an older First Class Corpsman and he did a good job of patching us up allowing me to stay with my men. The last wound resulted in my night med evac to Japan and eventually to Fort Gordon Army Hospital in Augusta, Georgia.

I never put in for Purple Hearts, but over the next year, I was presented three Purple Hearts, all of which were “First Awards”. I gave the three individual medals to my children. I was placed on light duty when I returned to duty as a platoon commander of the 106 platoon in H&S Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines. When I was given my annual physical my large skin graft on my left shoulder was not healed completely because of the movement of the left shoulder bones damaged by the RPG. I was told I would never be able to wear a flak jacket or pack and I was recommended by the surgeon for medical retirement. I talked to my Battalion Commander, Major Tye. He told me he had obtained my fitness report from the previous Vietnam service. I had only one. It was submitted by the 1st Lt. Company Commander, whom I had only met twice. It stated that I did not make proper use of my NCOs and had not been signed it. Maj Tye told me the report did not hurt me. The fitness report did not surprise me. During the two months I was in the company, I never knew of the Lieutenant leaving the comfort of the Battalion wire. When introduced to him he told me he did not like enlisted Marines and resented the Corps commissioning former enlisted. When detached to the village and CAP unit, I had no contact with him or even the battalion. During the next month we fought our own private war and our only contact was with supporting artillery fire control. Had it not been for the tenacity and bravery of my enlisted Marines and our Corpsman, the bridge and village would have been lost. My job was to provide the small unit leadership as I saw necessary.

When I was retired, two Purple Heart awards were shown on my separation papers. I never understood why you received a purple heart when only wounded. I have always felt only Purple Heart that matters are those awarded to the survivors of lost Marines. Ben

On November, 22, 1963, I had finished classes and was sitting in the NROTC Midshipmen’s lounge at the University of Washington in Seattle. Gunnery Sergeant Raymond Daly, an Iwo Jima Marine, walked in and said “The President’s been shot.” He turned on our 19 inch black and white TV, and we all gathered around and watched in sadness. Our lives were forever changed. I had been a Midshipman for two months, and President John F. Kennedy was my first Commander-in-Chief.

On June 10, 1967, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and international affairs, and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the Marine Corps along with James Sanborn. Jim and I drove cross country to Montreal for the World’s Fair. We headed south and stopped at the Saratoga battlefield, and New York City. At the end June, we made it to Quantico for TBS 1-68 where we spent five joyful months with you guys.

After graduation, I was assigned to Camp Lejeune where I became a platoon leader and later the executive officer in Company B, 2nd Tank Battalion. After tank school in February 1968 at Camp Pendleton with Doug O’Connor and Dave Ralston, I deployed to the Caribbean with a Battalion Landing Team, sailing to the Bahamas, and then to Puerto Rico and Vieques, where we conducted tank-infantry operations. We visited Guantanamo Bay, then sailed to Jamaica, St. Thomas, and Aruba. The BLT conducted a joint amphibious operation with the Dutch Marines at St. Eustatius, then visited Trinidad, and went through eight days of jungle school in Panama. Many of you suffered through Con Thien, Hue City and Tet while I was on a cruise. My best friend 1st Lt. Chuck Schneider, the FO with 3/26, was wounded at Khe Sanh while I lost at roulette in San Juan and Panama City.

In 1969-70, I served as a platoon leader in the new 150 man Marine Security Guard Company at the American Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam. One rocket from the only daylight rocket attack on Saigon flew over my head and exploded a half block away; my only combat experience. Checking guard posts in ten buildings all over the city as Officer of the Day was challenging. My most interesting assignment came as company ordnance officer. The State Department acquired 200 M-16s from DOD, but made no arrangements for ammunition. I was told to get ammo right away, then set up a regular resupply. Using the initiative taught at The Basic School, my Sergeant and I traded a case of T-bone steaks and two cases of Heineken beer to the USAF air police at Tan Son Nhut air base for 10,000 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition and 50 M-72 LAWs, half of which I placed on the embassy roof. We were not attacked on my watch.

Promoted to Captain, I attended language school for Arabic, and was assigned to Quantico as a protocol officer, then as the Staff Secretary for the commanding general. I finished my Marine service on December 31, 1973, as the Administrative Officer, Amphibious Warfare School, and joined the U.S. civil service in the International Secretariat, Department of Transportation (DOT) on January 2, 1974; unemployed one day. My specialty was transportation in international organizations covering environmental, safety and security issues.

I had worked on International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) issues since 1974, and aviation security intensively since 1986. On December 21, 1988, I was working in the DOT international policy office on such topics as global warming, international transportation of hazardous materials, and road safety. The next day my division was assigned the aftermath of the bombing of Pan Am 103. We had worked on the Iran Air 655 mistakenly shoot down by the USS Vincennes in the Persian Gulf, so we were familiar with international aviation technical issues. My life changed forever. I became the DOT desk officer for Pan Am 103.

We began talks with the U.K. Ministry of Transport, set up an ICAO Council Special Session in February 1989, rolled out DOT initiatives in April, suffered through spring and summer hearings, and established the President’s Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism in November 1989. I attended all the sessions taking copious notes. The Aviation Security Improvement Act was passed in 1990 with much of its content influenced by our office. My aviation security papers are part of the Pan Am 103 archives at Syracuse University; 35 of the passengers killed were SU students.

I transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to focus on civil aviation security policy and planning as a special agent from 1992-2000. In December 2000, I retired from the FAA after over 33 years of service. We moved to Tully, N.Y. that year.

On September 11, 2001, my family and I were at the doctor when we heard news of the attacks. I came out of retirement, served one year in FAA, helped create the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and served there three years, returning home in 2005.

In my youth, I swore to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, first in September 1963 as a Navy ROTC Midshipman, then as a Marine Officer, and again as a U.S. civil servant. I returned to duty because I was given a second chance to serve my country in its time of greatest need. There is no greater gift, no higher honor.

In the aftermath of the attacks on 9/11, I provided legislative technical guidance to assist Congress during the drafting of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), tracked implementation while taking action to implement the Act; and worked on the first TSA checkpoint and checked baggage screening SOPs. I worked on aircraft repair station security; researched and wrote reports to Congress on screening, enhanced security measures, and aviation security costs. I was the principal author of the first TSA narrative budget justification and the first TSA Report to Congress on Transportation Security, and served as TSA audit liaison with the DHS Office of Inspector General.

In summary, I was a division manager, and senior policy advisor after the tragedies of Pan Am 103, Oklahoma City, TWA 800 and 9/11, focusing on policy formulation, implementation of law and presidential commission recommendations, strategic planning, research and development, and legislative and regulatory affairs.

Since 2006, I have been an aviation security consultant for TranSecure, Inc.: designing a State Department Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program course on international aviation security quality control, and presenting the pilot to participants from eight Caribbean countries; working on a program for TSA on international general aviation security for private flights; and, revising TSA security guidelines for airport planning, design and construction. I was also a contract analyst for the TSA Sensitive Security Information Office from 2005-2009.

I am a member of the Civil War Trust, the President, Onondaga County Civil War Round Table, and the Vice President of the Grover Civil War Round Table, Cortland, N.Y. Historical research and writing on military history are among my interests, along with family genealogy, and hiking in the Adirondacks. In the 2009 movie Germ, filmed in the Syracuse area and at my house, I played a cannibalistic zombie.

I grew up in central Florida in the small town of Lake Wales, went to college at Ole Miss, graduated with a degree in Math and was commissioned a Marine 2nd Lieutenant in June 1967. After graduating from the Basic School (TBS), I joined other TBS classmates at the Army’s Artillery Basic Course in Ft Sill, OK. In April 1968, I went to Vietnam and was assigned to Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 11th Marines as a Forward Observer for Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines. Lima Company was spread out along Route 9 west of Ca Lu towards Khe Sanh. Upon my arrival, I was fortunate to share a gourmet Mexican meal served by a TBS classmate Dave Collins and his platoon CP overlooking the scenic Quang Tri River! After a few months, I developed malaria and was medevac’d to the USS Sanctuary then to Cam Rahn Bay for treatment.

Thereafter, I rejoined Lima Company which had relocated to Hill 190 north of Danang. We conducted operations on the northwest side of Danang and in 5th and 7th Marine areas south of Danang. Later, I followed my old Lima Company Commander to the 1st Marine Divison headquarters and became the target intelligence officer in the Division G-2. You see a lot of guys coming and going at the Division level and I saw lots of former TBS classmates as they entered and exited Vietnam. I followed my Ole Miss classmates Clint Smith and Bill Tehan on an R&R to Sydney, Australia. They were kind enough to leave at least one gal there who enjoyed Marine companionship!

Upon returning to Vietnam, I got the typical short timer attitude and looked forward to PCS-ing back to the land of the Big PX. However, based on a late night chat with the Division Personnel Officer at the O Club, I extended my tour by 6 months to spend 3 months in Bangkok, Thailand at the R&R Processing Center! There I met a nice young Air Force Lieutenant from Cincinnati named Maureen who has been my wife now for almost 45 years. We have three wonderful children (two daughters and one son) and seven energetic grandchildren.

After Vietnam, I had a “hardship tour” at Marine Barracks Bermuda, then the Advanced Artillery Course at Ft Sill. Thereafter my Marine Corps assignments included 3rd and 1st Marine Divisions, 1st FSSG, Quantico, and Headquarters Marine Corps. After my FSSG tour, I converted to a primary logistics MOS and earned a Masters degree at USC in Systems Management.

I retired as a Major in 1987 at Quantico and then worked in the Northern Virginia area as a contractor for the defense industry. Since 2000, my wife and I have become very active in an International Catholic organization for men and women with addiction. Although our primary residence is in Stafford, Virginia, we spend lots of time in St Augustine, Florida where we volunteer in support of that organization. My closest associates these days are young men and women who are trying to change their lives by not using drugs or alcohol.

After TBS, Lt Webster was assigned to MATCU- 64, MCAS New River and Air Traffic Control School NATTC Glynco, Ga. Assignments with air traffic control continued through 20 years of active duty with major assignments as the ATC OIC at El Torro, Iwakuni, Quantico, and Tustin. Installing state of the art RADAR and tower communications was a major accomplishment during ATC duties at MCAS Iwakuni. As the OIC of ATC MCAS El Torro during the FAA strike, 18 Marines were sent to local FAA facilities when President Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers.

Major Webster did spend an afternoon in the California Institute for Men at Chino prison coaching the Tustin Marine basketball team against the CIM inmates in front of a hostile and packed audience while escaping with a very competitive win.

A career in education began in 1987 with the Chino Unified School District teaching history, economics, and leadership at Boys Republic High School while coaching cross-country and basketball and assigned as the Athletic Director.

Boys Republic is a unique school established in 1906 for troubled teenagers. It is famous for the Della Robbia Wreaths as well as the school where Steve McQueen spent time as a young man and whose family is very involved with it today. Young boys from all of California who have made bad choices and have been dealt a bad hand in life are given the opportunity to work and get caught up in school while learning to be productive citizens when they return to their homes or who are provided help in establishing themselves if no family is available.

During the time coaching at Boys Republic, I was asked to coach a girls’ basketball team at Don Lugo High School. I spent 5 years coaching there while remaining as a teacher at Boys Republic. For basketball fans, maybe the greatest girls/women player to play is Diana Taurasi, who I coached for 4 years, introduced as the high school winner of the 2000 Naismith celebration in Atlanta, GA, and was an assistant coach for the first Adidas All-American all-star game at the University of Tennessee.

Retiring from education in 2004, I have enjoyed my four grandchildren- Eric and Olivia twins born on Nov 10th and Lindsey Nov 12th 2001- a very busy Marine Corps birthday weekend and our third granddaughter Chelsey born in 2003. I have been active with the local Youth Accountability Board working with first time offenders and now find myself back to coaching travel basketball for our youngest granddaughter.

Married 48 years this September to my best friend Joanie, we have two children, Cheri – an elementary teacher and Michael – a portfolio manager. Our new family member is Izzy, a 2-year-old Cane Corso, who keeps us busy and restrictive in travel. Our goal is to qualify Izzy as a therapy dog.

Gentlemen: This missive is longer than I would have preferred. However, I am grateful a few of our USMC “Platoon Leaders” are still kicking since their initial tour in VN 68’/69′.

In response to your data inquiry: I served as a 2nd Lt./1st Lt. in & around VN base camps in Phu Bai, DaNang and Chu Lai “primarily” as a CommO/Platoon Cdr.

This VN service was in and around Task Force X-Ray base camp Phu Bai, @ 7th Comm Bn. base camp DaNang & at 9th Engr. Bn. base camp Chu Lai.

Upon return from Vietnam I was stationed in 69’/70′ at MCAS El Toro Santa Ana, CA at H&HS and the Comm Ctr. before my honorable active duty ceased in 1970. After active duty, promoted to Capt. while in USMCR.

Before commissioned by Vice President Hubert H. Humprey as a 2nd Lt. at Univ. of St. Thomas in 1967, I spent about 6 years enlisted in USN(R)/USMC PLC from 6-62′ until 6-67′. In summary, I was 3 years + on active duty (67’/70′).

Always wondered after Basic School (67′) and CommO school (68′) how many would really live to be eligible for AARP. Thank you as I did receive your mailed letter at my home in Temecula, CA 92592 at 44744 Pride Mtn. St. My landline phone # is: 951-225 8242.

After USMC, I graduated Pepperdine University Law School, was admitted to the CA. Bar, U.S. District Court & eventually the U.S. Supreme Court.

I am now a retired attorney but still a member of the CA State Bar. My law practice for 35 years was as an associate attorney, law firm partner and head of my own namesake firm. Primarily, my legal work was as a defense civil litigator.

I live in our home with my wife of 43 years (Capt. Karen Thompson Wenzel, USMC (R), a former high school & then a college teacher/ adjunct professor & a college administrator). Yes, she has always outranked me. Our two sons are alive (an architect & a lawyer). I have a grandchild. My brother (Ret. Master Gunnery Sgt.; VN 66’/70′) and his son were both Marines.

Finally, I am hopeful this is helpful for your database. I still am not sure if there were not 2 officer Basic School classes in the summer & fall of 67′. I started Basic Infantry Officer School around June or July 1967. Respectfully, Michael E. Wenzel (949) 378-9234

I went straight from TBS to Recon training at Coronado/Pendleton with my University of NM classmate Rob Barnes and a bunch of Navy Seals, then on to 1st Recon Bn. in DaNang with Rob.

I took over Alpha Co., 2nd Platoon in mid-January and was on my first patrol just before the Tet Offensive started. It was an OP on Hill 423, a ridge above Antenna Valley, SW of Da Nang and W of Marble Mountain. The day the battle started we watched in amazement as the lead elements of an NVA regiment sauntered down the valley toward DaNang. Same thing was happening with two other 1st Recon patrols in Happy Valley and Elephant Valley. Meanwhile Westmoreland and Johnson couldn’t believe there was a war on so all we could do was watch.

Late in the day the U.S. cease fire was lifted and we were able to deploy all the Marine and Army arty, NGF, Marine and Navy air and Spooky gunships we had on stand-by all day. By the end of the day that regiment (and the other two attacking DaNang) ceased to exist as a viable fighting force. It was a beautiful thing!

That night they came to get us. No need to tell any of you what it’s like sitting on a bare hill waiting for the shit to hit the fan. NVA sappers managed to disconnect every trip wire, claymore and other early warning device we had before starting the attack with machine guns and mortars. Our little band held, but not without the help of some fine shooting by Marine 105s. Nothing like dropping 50 and firing for effect on your own position for your baptism of fire. I’m forever grateful to any of you who were pulling the lanyards that first night of Tet.

In addition to running LRPs out of DaNang, I was assigned for a month to the 1st Air Cav for Operation Delaware operating out of Quang Tri into the Ashau Valley. Managed to survive several forced helicopter landings in Bell H-13s and Hughes LOHs caused by excess lead and numerous holes in the cockpit and machinery. Those young hot shot Army pilots all thought they were bullet proof. But of the five of us Marines detached for that operation only two of us returned.

I managed to survive RVN without any new holes in me. Not so Rob Barnes. In May I ran a patrol down from Bach Ma mountain into Elephant Valley, scouting a way to move a larger force into the valley in a clandestine manner. Arriving at the valley floor we engaged NVA moving back and forth to DaNang and had a very hot extract. A few weeks later Rob tried to insert a patrol on the valley floor and was immediately engaged. He was killed instantly in the ensuing firefight. Later that day after his patrol was extracted I identified his body at the DaNang air base morgue before he was shipped home. A great loss. He was a damn good officer, patrol leader and comrade.

Returning from RVN I was stationed at Camp Pendleton with 5th Recon and got to go to SCUBA School in Key West, Fla. and Amphib Recon in Coronado. Had great fun practicing water inserts and extracts off submarines, high speed boats, rappelling out of helicopters and either swimming or rowing rubber boats ashore – in the middle of moonless nights, and usually in the rain. I also acted as the diving officer at Camp Pendleton and got to search and recover a downed helicopter and an occasional truck or amphib vehicle the Navy dropped over the side during ship to shore operations.

Back in New Mexico I went to law school in 1970 while being the CO of Delta Co., 4th Recon for three years. I got to take my troops to Alaska for cold weather training, Ft. Carson, Colo. for mountain training and Coronado, CA for amphib recon training during those three years. Having obtained my NAUI SCUBA Instructors license while still stationed at Camp Pendleton, I started a SCUBA school at the University of New Mexico and taught a couple hundred students a year for over a decade, taking them to San Carlos, Mexico and San Clemente Island for their final open water experiences.

I’ve been a business, finance, real estate, transaction lawyer for over 40 years now. I managed to take sailing lessons at Quantico during TBS and became instantly and irreversibly hooked. I have sailed in small boats all up and down the west coast from Vancouver to Baja California, the east coast from Florida to Annapolis, from San Francisco to Hawaii and all over the Leeward and Windward Islands of the Caribbean. Once a year I go with a group of divers to collect fish for the Albuquerque Aquarium in the Bahamas and I try to take my family sailing in the BVI at least every other year.

I’ve also stayed in pretty good shape all these years, having completed three Hawaiian Ironman races, finishing 35th overall in 1983. No longer an Ironman, I now tell folks I’m more like an Iron-oxide man, but I still do 100 mile bicycle tours, long runs and resistance training. For my 70th birthday I ran the annual La Luz Trail Run – 9 miles, 4,000+ elevation gain up the face of the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque. Finished in 3 hours and I wasn’t last.

Three marriages and five great kids later I’m still working my ass off. My youngest, a beautiful daughter, graduates from high school in May and I still have one in college. My wife, Lorna, who is also my law partner of many years, and I are about to become empty nesters. I addition to being a great labor/employment lawyer for management, she is heavily involved in both local and national non-profit groups, including ACCION, a micro-lender to small business. In addition to law practice I’m a principal and Sr. VP/General Counsel of Noribachi Corporation, www.noribachi.com, a company I helped found seven years ago that manufactures high intensity commercial and industrial LED lighting headquartered in Los Angeles. And, with a client and partner, I’m starting a major residential development around a new $140M LEED certified high school in Rio Rancho, NM, just north of Albuquerque.

Livin’ the dream!

Semper Fi!