You must be doing some serious research to have tracked me down. My position as Greg's platoon leader is no secret, but it's not information that is easily accessible.

I was Greg's platoon leader for just about two months before he was killed. I did not know him intimately, because our roles prevented that, but I did know him. As I recall your father was in the Air Force, stationed where? Newfoundland rings a bell for some reason. Greg was a good Marine, did his job, was well-liked and a full-fledged member of the platoon. After his death, there were a lot of angry and emotional Marines that the NCO's and I had to try to help. That wasn't to say that we weren't angry as well, but we kept it under control. I recall that Greg used to take home movies. I hope that at least some of them survived, because I remember seeing the remains of his movie camera, with film spilled out, in the wreckage of his Ontos after it hit the mine. I happen to have a picture of the Ontos that Greg was riding in when he was killed, and I have attached it. Greg is in the picture in the helmet. I think he was involved in checking communications in the helmet. I am sitting next to him. On the slope plate with the rifle is PFC Juan Vega, who was driving the Ontos when it hit the mine, and was wounded. Just barely visible is the back of the head of the Ontos Commander, Cpl D. L. Harper. He is sitting in the driver's seat, looking inside. I do not know who took the picture or the date, but it would have been April or May, 1966. My notes say it was taken at a place called Man Quan 3.

On the day Greg was killed, he was acting as Ontos Commander, and was occupying the position you see him in in the picture. PFC Vega, normally the loader, was driving. A third Marine, whose name I don't now recall, was acting as loader and was also wounded in the mining.

On that day, we had been supporting, as I recall, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines. We had been east of our base camp all day and were returning to the base camp when the mining occurred. There were three tanks followed by two Ontos in column. I was riding on the first Ontos. Greg was in the second, the last one in column. We went over a stream at a place called the Viem Dong Crossing and it was there that a mine detonated under Greg's vehicle. I have no idea why one of the vehicles that crossed ahead of him did not set the mine off. It could have been command detonated, or it could have had a counter on it.

I heard a "pop" sound, turned and saw that the upper half of Greg's vehicle had been blown off of the lower half, and was lying upside down next to it. We ran to the scene, and found all three crewmen. Greg was removed from the wreckage, but he died almost at once. We eventually got a medevac helicopter into the area and it carried the two wounded and Greg's body to the rear.

It turned out that the mine had caused the sympathetic detonation of one of the 106mm rounds that were in the ammunition storage space directly under where Greg was standing. It was the detonation of that round that blew the top off of the vehicle and killed Greg. There were other events that day, but what I have told you is the story as it relates to Greg.

I have not tried to be diplomatic, and I hope I have not offended you with explicit details. I have written this from memory after passage of 34 years. I don't remember a lot of details, but I believe what I do remember to be accurate. Since I don't know what questions you might have, I don't know if my story answered all of them. If there are other details you are interested in, I will be glad to try to help. Please call or e-mail at your convenience.