BY: Kenneth H. Ervin
I E-mailed Paul Beals concerning this Ad that he had placed in the Ivy Dragoons newsletter (which I am a member of). I was in the battle of Plei Doch 5/26/1967 (The day that his cousin Richark Wilkins was killed)
Following is an excerpt of the Email that I sent to Paul....
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Hello Paul Beals,
I will start off with I didn't personally know your cousin Richard Wilkins. He was in “C” company and I was in “B” company. I will never forget that awful day May 26, 1967. We and “C” company were climbing up this huge Mountain along the Cambodian Border. I do not know the location. The following After Action Reports states that the location was in DARLAC Providence. “C” company was traveling in a single file formation up ahead of us when they came upon a flat place in the mountain. Captain Powers decided to stop his column to have his men to take a break. He didn't know it at the time but he stopped his column right in the middle of an AMBUSH zone that the NVA had planned. He must have sit down and had pulled out his map to check his company’s location and I sniper shot him between the eyes killing him instantly thus triggering the ambush.
Naturally we rushed to their assistance. Bullets and RPG and Mortar rounds were exploding all around us. They had a well planned ambush laid out for us. After around 30-60 minutes I guess, they broke off and ran for the Cambodian border.
Now here is the story about your Cousin Richard. I have been trying from some time to identify the “boy with the shotgun that day that was killed”. I e-mailed everyone that I could from “C” company during that time period in an attempt to identifying that BOY. I am pretty sure (99% sure) that his band of brothers have identified him correctly as Richard Wilkins.
Paul, I will never forget about how Richard was killed that day. I will never forget the pile of 12 Gauge Shotgun Shell casings lying on the ground beside him that day. There was a huge pile of NVA lying about 20 yards to his front. He must have killed around 15-20 NVA with the buckshot from his pump shotgun. I do remember him killing a high-ranking NVA officer and his RTO because I remember my Company Commander (Cpt. Toby Colburn – the Pineapple) asking me to cut off his NVA uniform insignias and he sent them back to our S2 for identifying his rank and NVA unit. I have e-mailed our then Battalion Commander Lt. Col Tom Lynch now Retired Major General Tom Lynch if he remembers this incident and what the NVA Officers rank and outfit was but for some reason he refuses to answer my question. I also sent him a snail mail note asking the same question.
Paul, I feel like your cousin Richard, deserved the Silver Star Posthumously for that day May 26, 1967. That’s my opinion on that matter. Maybe the Army did award him the Silver Star I do not know. You can tell the brothers of Richard that they should be really proud of their older brother Richard because he was my HERO on that day in May almost 39 years ago. You can also tell them that my memory isn't what it used to be but I still remember the Battle of Plei Doc very vividly and their brother Richard lying on the ground dead that day.
Wilkins, Richard Edward
SP4
C/3/8
5/26/1967
Mountlake Terr
WA
20E/125
Ken Ervin
.....Paul and I have been e-mailing each other several times. In one of my emails I asked Paul what that he does in Alaska and about his unusual E-mail address (paul.beals@tananachiefs.org). He replied back to me...
Well, hang on Ken, I think you're in for a few surprises... I am a professional counselor, work for Tanana Chiefs Conference (tan-ah-na, does not rhyme with banana),
TCC is a consortium of 43 alaska Native tribes and villages, most of which are Athabaskan Indians but some are Inupiat Eskimo. I travel to one of my five villages each week and am there usually for three days at a time dealing with whatever issues/problems the folks have. Two of my usual villages are Eskimo, Anaktuvuk Pass - about 250 miles north of here and Evansville/Bettles about 150 miles north. I've also been called out to other villages when ever there has been a violent death or suicide - 15 for me in the last 5&1/2years. I also travelled to a few villages that are outside our region when I was doing my thesis on Alaska Native Vietnam Vets and was adopted by a Sitka Chief/Vietnam Vet.
The guys in Anaktuvuk Pass don't have many resources available to them and unemployment is around 60% in that village of 300 people- a village which was settled in 1950, by the way. Anyway, I've been teaching the guys up there how to turn pens and such out of caribou horn and on a mini lathe! (Before I went back to grad school, I had an 18,000 sqft shop and 28 employees in Laconner ,Washington where I built large pleasure boats, primarily off shore cruising sailboats. . . done some wood work, myself... but got involved in humanitarian aid work- primarily in Russia in the late 80s and decided that I'd been building dreams for rich folks and felt called to build dreams of a higher
order... I'll send you a cc of the story of the Midnight Train From Moscow...will have to wait until I get home tonight to send it - don't have a cc here at work.) Anyway they're just getting started, I've located a market for their wares and hope to help build a little cottage industry up there for them.
Just last evening I got a call from Roger Tenbrink, former squad leader and he gave me the names, Lynn Wanzak, Kodiak Island, Alaska who was Richard's (aka "Radar") best friend and another guy, Peter Schwartzoff, who lives in Anchorage. Amazing what networking can do... I medcapped in a couple of montagnard villes up around Khe Sanh. Have
always felt they were sorely wronged when we pulled out of the country - set them up for worse persecution than ever.
Ken, you mentioned N.C. - for the last two years my wife and I have gone down there to the John C. Campbell Folk Art School (in Brasstown - SW corner of the state) for our vacation and fell in love with the area.We'r'e headed that way in March, I think... This whole thing sure has gotten interesting. . . and Richard's brother
Dan is excited about getting info, too.
Good chatting with you.
Paul
Paul on another E-mail....I figured that this E-mail has set some kind of record because of the place that Paul e-mailed me from......
Hi Ken,
I'm in Anaktuvuk Pass, about a hundred miles above the Arctic Circle - flew in this a.m. This time of year the sun does not rise here, although the high stratus clouds are at the moment a spectacular neon orange against a turquoise sky. The mountains that surround this village are all in shadow. The sun won't come back for several months - and of course, will shine 24 hours per day during the short summer.
I fly into all of the villages I serve - when the weather permits! sometimes landing at -40 and in a whiteout... It is strange to land like that and see the numerous snowmachines that come roaring up to the airplane to see who and what gets off... and just as quickly disappear when all has been offloaded.
This is a good place to be in the business I'm in... no one in their right mind would live here..
Yes, i've rec'd your posts. Have been busy as there have been two deaths in the last week in this village of just under 300 people... funeral for an elder this afternoon - in half an hour... I'd best get moving.
Will write more in the next couple of days... I haven't forgotten that I said I'd email a cc of the train story to you...
BTW - Fairbanks is on the road system - 1500 miles from Seattle and 350 from Anchorage. Ester is an old gold mining village 8 miles outside Fairbanks.
Glad Richard's brother contacted you.
Thanks again.
Paul
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