NORMAN LANE JR MEMORIAL PROJECT

Requiem Aeternam

images/2746NormanELane.jpg 1st Lt. Norman Edward Lane Jr., Brownsville, TN, Infantry Officer, H&S Co., 3/4 Marines, 3rdMarDiv.
Lost at Fire Support Base C-3, vicinity of Cam Lo Village, 29Mar 1968. Buried in Tabernacle Methodist Church Cemetery, Brownsville.

In addition to 1stLt. Lane, twelve other men from Brownsville, Stanton, and Haywood County, TN, gave their lives in Vietnam over 1965-1970. A one-page PowerPoint file, which can be viewed or downloaded here, summarizes when and where these thirteen lives ended, in Vietnam. The map gives the administrative divisions and military regions for South Vietnam that pertained in June of 1967. The family name of each soldier or Marine is given, together with the date on which he was lost. Listed below, they are:

PSgt. William Alford Ferrell, Stanton, TN, Infantryman, Alpha Co., 2/7 Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).
Lost with 151 other Soldiers in battle at LZ Albany, 17Nov 1965. Buried in Ft. Benning Post Cemetery.

Pfc. Willie Coleman Jr., Brownsville, TN, Infantryman, Bravo Co., 3/60 Infantry, 9th Infantry Division.
Lost in a drowning accident while crossing a stream in Gia Dinh Province, 22Jan 1967. Buried in Chapel Hill Cemetery, Brownsville.

LCpl. Larry Adrian Land, Brownsville, TN, Amphibious Assault Vehicle Crewman, Alpha Co., 1st AMTRAC Bn., 3rdMarDiv.
Lost with three other Marines while trying to cross the Vinh Dien River, vicinity of Dien Ban, 6Mar 1967. Buried in Brownsville Memorial Gardens.

Pvt. Andrew Currie, Brownsville, TN, Mortarman, Foxtrot Co., 2/5 Marines, 1stMarDiv.
Lost with 16 other Marines and Soldiers at Nong Son Outpost, vicinity of An Hoa, 4July 1967. Buried in Memphis National Cemetery on his 22nd birthday.

Pfc. Billy Lee Wright, Stanton, TN, Medical Corpsman, Delta Co., 1/12 Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).
Lost with 14 other Soldiers in battle for Quang Tri City, 1Feb 1968. Buried in Stanton Cemetery, Stanton.

SP4 James Edward Young, Brownsville, TN, Infantryman, Bravo Co., 1/5 Infantry, 25th Infantry Division.
Lost in an accident when the main gun of the tank he was standing near discharged, in Binh Long Province, 16Apr 1968. Buried in Beech Grove Cemetery, Brownsville.

Cpl. Tyrone Wagner Austin, Brownsville, TN, Machine Gunner, Hotel Co., 2/4 Marines, 3rdMarDiv.
Lost with 86 other Marines and Sailors near Dai Do, vicinity of Dong Ha, 2May 1968. Buried in Rosenwald Cemetery, Brownsville.

Cpl. R.T. Perry, Stanton, TN, Infantryman, Charlie Co., 6/31 Infantry, 9th Infantry Division.
Lost in a drowning accident while in a Night Defensive Position in Dinh Tuong Province, 8Oct 1968. Buried in Dancyville CME Church Cemetery, Dancyville, TN.

LCpl. William Lewis Haak, Brownsville, TN, Rifleman, CACO 2-2, 2nd CAG, III MAF.
Lost in an "Undetermined" "Other Accident" in Quang Nam Province, 25July 1969. Buried in Brownsville Memorial Gardens.

Sgt. Albert N. Wright Jr., Stanton, TN, Rifleman, CACO 1-3, 1st CAG, III MAF.
Lost with five other Marines at Night Defensive Position, vicinity Binh Son, 19Oct 1969. Buried in St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery, Stanton.

Pfc. Danny Wayne Overton, Brownsville, TN, Machine Gunner, India Co., 3/1 Marines 1stMarDiv.
Lost with another Marine at Night Defensive Position, near La Chau, vicinity Tuy Loan Bridge, 4Jan 1970. Buried in Brownsville Memorial Gardens.

SP4 Richard Keith Johnston, Brownsville, TN, UH-1 Helicopter Repairer, 119th AHC Co., 52nd Aviation BN, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade.
Lost with five other soldiers in the accidental crash of their helicopter over land, near the mouth of the Bong Son River, Binh Dinh Province, 17Aug 1970. Buried in Grove Hill Cemetery, Morrison, IL.

At half mast, for the matadors
Who turned their backs to please the crowd
And all fell before the bull

Black and white were the figures that recorded him
Black and white was the newsprint he was mentioned in
Black and white was the question that so bothered him
He never asked, he was taught not to ask
But was on his lips as they buried him

Rex tremendae majestatis
Requiem aeternam, Requiem aeternam

—Terry Kirkman, "Requiem for the Masses"