The detailed remembrances left for him at VVMF.org help to give us clues about what Christopher’s service was like in 1968 Vietnam.
Date of birth: 7 March 1949 Date tour began: 28 September 1967 Date of casualty: 23 August 1968 Home of record: Molalla, Oregon Branch and Rank: Marine Corps, Private First Class Unit: Force Logistical Command, 3rd Military Police Battalion, 1st Force Service Rgt, H S Company Awards: National Defense Service Medal, Purple Heart, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal Location of name on the Vietnam Wall: 47W, 38
Location of service: South Vietnam, Quang Nam province Died through hostile action .. small arms fire Burial location: Willamette National Cemetery Memorials: Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Washington, DC), Oregon Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Portland)
In 1968 Chambers and I served together in H&S Company, 3rd M.P. Battalion. I drew rations for the battalion and Chambers was, occasionally, assigned to drive me to Red Beach to pick up the next days rations. I remember the reactionary force being sent to a bridge south of Da Nang in August (Chambers, and most of the motor transport section, made up a portion of the force that was sent to stop a VC attack). Days later, when the reactionary force returned, I began to get some idea of what took place at the (Cau Do?) bridge. I considered myself lucky, if not blessed, to have missed the encounter that took Chambers life and several other young lives from H&S Company. I wish that I could remember all the names but thirty plus years have dimmed my memory. ******************************************************************** A Homeboy in Nam It's been a long time since we started out across that dried up old rice paddy. I remember you were on my left. Jesse Clay and Dan Toliver were on my right. It seemed like all hell broke loose. A grenade concussion threw Jesse backward. Although I did not know it until we came back for our wounded, the first burst of fire took you. I remember the day you reported in to the 3rd and we found out that I had grown up in Woodburn and you in Molalla. I wish I had had the time to get to know you better. I remember you as an easy going guy who wanted to do his share for his country. I have been looking for your family several years now, to let them know you were not alone the day you died and that someone from home was with you.