Operation Virginia Ridge May-Jun 1969

Provided By Doc Hoppy

This proved to be the only major success of the operation. Though the maneuver elements of Operation Maine Crag thoroughly searched their AO, and even extended eastward into the old Operation Dewey Canyon AO, enemy contact was limited to occasional sniper rounds and a few mortar shells fired from Laos. Several more supply caches were uncovered and the foodstuffs extracted. By the end of April, the 3d Marines had been relocated to the central portion of Quang Tri Province, where they took up positions below the DMZ to begin Operation Virginia Ridge.


This is the only mention of Op Virginia Ridge in this article.  The Province would be Quang Tri province.  I know this, I was there, and suffered nearly 1/3 of my Co. killed or wounded in 4 hours on 6/17/69.  This was on Op Virginia Ridge in Leatherneck Square a couple of kilometers WSW of Gio Linh.  There were many of the Bn WIA (51) or KIA (19) that day.  We did more than just "take up positions below the DMZ to begin Operation Virginia Ridge.     Doc Hoppy Sr. Corpsman M/3/3

The following list from 3/3 were WIA or KIA that date.

  BECK KENNETH W. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  BENTLEY RANDY W. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  BURNETT GARY E. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  COLEMAN JOHN W. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  COLON ELY 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  COPELAND JOHNNY C. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  CORE DERRICK 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  DAVIS JOHN W. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  DAWSON MICHAEL DAVID 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  DOSTIE JOSEPH F. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  FOSTER DONALD B. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  FOURNIER JOSEPH DAVID 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  GARRISON WINFORD A. 0331 06/17/69 Mike
  GRANBERRY JOHNIE FRANKLIN 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  HAZELWOOD CARMAN "RICK" 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  HEDLUND H. R. 0000 06/17/69 Mike
  HENRY WILLIAM T. Jr. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  HULSING JAMES J. 0331 06/17/69 Mike
  IVY EARNEST H. 0351 06/17/69 Mike
  JOSEY LEO Jr. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  KINGSBURY RONALD S. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  KOLTER BRUCE 0302 Silver Star 6/17/69 06/17/69 Mike
  KUJAWA CHRIS J. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  MURRAY ROBERT R. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  MURRY CLEVELAND 0351 06/17/69 Mike
  NEER GERALD KING 0269 06/17/69 Mike
  NEES JOHN T. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  PELKEY ROGER D. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  REVELL WILLIAM JAMES III 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  REYNERO JOHN 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  ROSENBERGER ROGER DALE 0311 Navy Cross 6/17/69 06/17/69 Mike
  SHAFFER DAVID B. 0331 06/17/69 Mike
  SPARKS CLAUDE R. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  STEELE DAVID MARK 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  STEVENS CHARLES A. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  STONE WILLIAM MARVIN Jr. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  TERRELL WILLIE C. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  VARNAU ARTHUR L. Jr. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  WILSON PERRY G. 2531 Bronze Star "V" 6/17/69 06/17/69 Mike
  WITTY ROBERT WILLIAM 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  WOOD DALE W. 0311 06/17/69 Mike
  KENNEDY DONALD LEE 0331 06/17/69 Lima
  MORA GREGORIO MANUEL 0311 06/17/69 Lima
  SCOTT J. E. 0000 06/17/69 Lima
  THOMAS WAYNE ROY 0311 06/17/69 Lima
  ELDER EDWARD E. 0311 06/17/69 India
  OLTMANNS GERALD B. 0311 06/17/69 India
  PRESNELL LARRY D. 0311 06/17/69 India
  SANCHEZ SAMUEL C. 0351 06/17/69 India
  SCHAUB MIKE G. 0331 06/17/69 India
  SELNES REX V. 0311 06/17/69 India