|
Thomas A. Barrett
Specialist Four
B TRP, 1ST SQDN, 17TH CAVALRY, 3RD BDE, 82ND ABN DIV, USARV Army of the United States Harrogate, Tennessee January 14, 1947 to May 14, 1968 THOMAS A BARRETT is on the Wall at Panel 60E, Line 8 |
  |
|
| |
|
Tom came onto our fire base with intention of joining his Cavalry unit. I was with the 321st Artillery with 82nd Airborne, 3rd brigade. We became friends at once. He was married as I was. I went to Tennessee Tech and knew some of the people he had gone to school with. Good man. Just got my 82nd airborne album. Made me think of Tom and the 2 other guys killed that night, Ed Davis and Lee Jones. God bless them and their families."
Bill Deveraux
With him at time of his death outside of Phuoc Vinh Thomas A. Barrett was born in Alpena Michigan to Donna (Smart) and William Barrett who were also born, raised, and married in Millersburg, Hillman, and Alpena County Michigan areas. It is unclear when Tom (or the family) moved to Harrogate, Tennessee as his Record of Emergency Data Form indicates his parents were living apart at time of his enlistment. At least by 1963, Tom was in Michigan as he attended and graduated from Pontiac Northern High School (Senior Year HS Photo in shadow box above). 
1964 Junior Year HS Photo
HS Track Team
He enlisted in the Army in June 1965 according to his military records. Before he began his tour in Vietnam on May 5, 1968 he married Cathelene Hatfield from Harrogate. His parents and wife were all living in Pontiac at the time of his enlistment but Cathelene was residing at Rural Rt #1, Harrogate, Tennessee at the time of Tom's death and burial. The ETVMA tribute above raised the question of where SP4 Barrett was located when he was killed. The information next below above and below helps explain why he was not at Bien Hoa, but rather Phuoc Vinh Base Camp with the other two men. Troop B, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry was the ground reconnaissance element of the 3d Brigade Task Force, 82d Airborne Division in Vietnam. It arrived in Vietnam on 18 February 1968 and departed on 11 December 1969. The 506th Infantry Regiment moved to the Phuoc Vinh Combat Base in December 1967 as part of Operation Uniontown and remained there until October 1968 (Stanton). The 506th got it's direct support from the 319th Artillery. The Deveraux tribute says he was in the 321st Artillery. However, the 2nd Battalion, 321st Artillery remained organic to the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, which was under the Operational Control of the "101st Air Cavalry Division" (AKA later as 101st Airborne Division) and was engaged in Operation Delaware. It's firing batteries were located at FSB Boyd (A Btry), FSB Geronimo (B Btry), and Camp Rodriguez (C Btry; HHC 2/321 here also) as of 1 May 1968. Those fire bases were in Northern South Vietnam near Hue-Phu Bai. The B Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry unit was also there in direct support of the 82nd. On 17 May 1968, Operation Carentan II and Operation Delaware terminated and Operation Nevada Eagle began. At that time, the 2/321st Artillery was located at Camp Rodriguez while the firing batteries were then located at FSBs Boyd (A Btry), Bastogne (B Btry), and Birmingham (C Btry). Camp Rodriguez was where HHC, 3rd Brigade 82nd Airborne Division was located from March 1968 until the brigade redeployed to the Saigon area in October 1968. It was named in honor of Staff Sergeant Joe Rodriguez of Company C, 1st Battalion, 505th Infantry who became the first member of the brigade killed in action on February 29, 1968. The camp was located south of Hue and west of Phu Bai and Highway 1 in Northern I Corps at grid coordinates YD817147. The three men mentioned as being in Phuoc Vinh when killed had to be the result of them being enroute via Phuoc Vinh Base Camp. That camp was the base camp for units of the 101st Airborne, and most likely was used as a pass through location for the division to send replacements from Bien Hoa to 101st and 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division unit locations in the Hue-Phu Bai operational area in the north of Vietnam near the DMZ. Based on dates and information in their records, they had just arrived in country at Long Binh, taken their required orientation, received assignment orders, and were in the process of being transported from Bien Hoa through Phocu Vinh, which was the closest 101st 'rear' base camp to their final units. In support of units at Phuoc Vinh was the 2nd Squardron, 17th Cavalry. During Vietnam, replacements would often be transported by various modes of transportation, mostly ground, to get to their units all over Vietnam. They didn't simply take an in-country airline. They also would have to wait until the next convoy or operation before they could get to their units. I also surmise that Bill Deveraux had also just come into country and Bill met the other 3 men while they were processing for movement to the Hue-Phu Bai location. Throughout February, March, and April 1968, there were many rocket, mortar, and ground attacks on Bien Hoa and Phouc Vinh Air Strip/Base as well as the nearby FSBs and camps. The area was known during that time as the "Rocket Belt" and American units were continually patrolling the area to stop enemy infiltration efforts and attacks. On the night of 14 May, it was reported that "At approximately 2300 hours, the Bien Hoa Air Base complex, 15 miles northeast of Saigon, received several 122mm rockets. Artillery and counter battery missions were fired at suspected rocket firing position with unknown results. Personnel casualties and material damages reported light." During that night's attack on Bien Hoa, they also hit Phouc Vinh Base Camp with Rockets. As a result, four men were killed:
SP4 Thomas A. Barrett was survived by his wife, Cathelene Hatfield Barrett Wimer Hamlin Malone (1951-2015), mother Donna Virginia Smart Barrett Devirix (1926-2003), father William S. Barrett (1922-1979), Pontiac Michigan, and Uncles Robert John Barrett (1920-1995) and Thomas Laurence Barrett ( - ) He is buried with his wife in Red Hill Cemetery, Hopewell, Claiborne County, Tennessee. 
- - - The Virtual Wall, July 03, 2018 |
| Contact Us | © Copyright 1997-2019 www.VirtualWall.org, Ltd ®(TM) | Last update 08/15/2019 |