Sgt. 1st Class Gunther H. Wald (Bergen, NJ), U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces
Group, was lost on Nov. 3, 1969, in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. He was
accounted for on May 30, 2012.
WALD, GUNTHER HERBERT
Name: Gunther Herbert Wald
Rank/Branch: Sergeant First Class/US Army
Unit: Special Operations Augmentation,
Command & Control North (MACV-SOG),
5th Special Forces Group,
1st Special Forces
Date of Birth: 07 January 1944 (Frankfurt, Germany)
Home of Record: Bergen, NJ
Date of Loss: 03 November 1969
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 154800N 1064700E (XD643674)
Click coordinates to view maps
Status in 1973: Missing In Action
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Other Personnel in Incident: William T. Brown, Donald M. Shue and two
Montagnards (missing)
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: MACV-SOG, or Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and
Observation Group, was a joint service high command unconventional warfare
task force engaged in highly classified operations throughout Southeast
Asia. The 5th Special Forces channeled personnel into MACV-SOG (though it
was not a Special Forces group) through Special Operations Augmentation
(SOA), which provided their "cover" while under secret orders to MACV-SOG.
These teams performed deep penetration missions of strategic reconnaissance
and interdiction which were called, depending on the time frame, "Shining
Brass" or "Prairie Fire" missions.
On 3 November 1969, SSgt. Brown, team leader and demolitions expert; then
Sgt. Gunther Wald, radio operator; SP4 Donald Shue, rifleman; and six
Montagnards comprised a patrol operating 30 miles west of the South
Vietnamese/Lao border in the isolated and rugged jungle-covered mountains
near Ban Chakevy Tai, Savannakhet Province, Laos.
As the patrol moved through the area, it was ambushed by a numerically
superior communist force. During the initial burst of automatic weapons
fire, SSgt. Brown was shot through the body just below the rib cage. The
communists lobbed in grenades, fragments of which struck SP4 Shue. At the
same time, as Sgt. Wald was making radio contact for help, he was also
struck by grenade fragments. Two of the six Montagnard team members were
also wounded in the initial attack. All three Americans were last seen lying
wounded on the ground by Pong, one of the four surviving team members, who
were forced to withdraw under fire leaving the others behind. At the time he
departed the area, Pong did not know the extent or severity of the wounds
sustained by the Americans. Further, as the Montagnards were escaping the
ambush site, they heard the communists shout: "Capture the Americans!" They
successfully evaded capture and reported the results of the ambush once they
made their way back to ba!
se.
Due to bad weather, a search and rescue (SAR) team could not be inserted
into the area until 11 November. They searched the entire area, but could
only find some web gear which was identified as belonging to the patrol
members. More importantly, no personal equipment, weapons or graves were
found in or around the battle site. Likewise, there was no trace of the men
themselves. At the time the formal search effort was terminated, William
Brown, Donald Shue and Gunther Wald were all listed Missing In Action.
For every insertion like this one that was detected and stopped, dozens of
others safely slipped past NVA lines to strike a wide range of targets and
collect vital information. The number of MACV-SOG missions conducted with
Special Forces reconnaissance teams into Laos and Cambodia was 452 in 1969.
It was the most sustained American campaign of raiding, sabotage and
intelligence-gathering waged on foreign soil in US military history.
MACV-SOG's teams earned a global reputation as one of the most combat
effective deep-penetration forces ever raised.
Gone,but not forgotten.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn_iz8z2AGw - Cached
Gone but not Forgotten.
God Bless,Rest in Peace Warrior.....
He was just a simple soldier and his ranks are growing thin
But his presence should remind us; we may need his like again,
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.......
Perhaps just a simple headline in the paper that might say:
OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY. (author unknown)
The passing of our soldiers often go unnoticed and unsung by most of the world, remembered only by family and friends. Wish it were not so. May he RIP, his family will be in my thoughts and prayers.........
I realize it's a Canadian song,however I believe most appropriate for this occasion..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrkgV5bl7kQ
Big Teddy
Linear Mode
