Robert Charles Keri
Private First Class
M CO, 3RD BN, 7TH MARINES, 1ST MARDIV, III MAF
United States Marine Corps
Somerset, New Jersey
March 08, 1948 to February 01, 1967
ROBERT C KERI is on the Wall at Panel 14E, Line 104

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Combat Action Ribbon
 

 
I served with Robert Keri in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967.
He was killed in action during Operation DeSoto.

From a fellow Marine,
George Martin
m37bulldog@aol.com  
31 May 2002


 

A note from The Virtual Wall

Operation DeSoto involved the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, in a month-long operation to secure an area in Quang Ngai Province. The after-action report outlines an accident of war that killed one Marine and wounded eleven others:
" . . . on 1 Feb at approximately 0345H, two bombs, of unknown size, exploded within Co M's defensive perimeter at BS 823403 resulting in 1 USMC KIA, 8 USMC WIA (Evac), 3 USMC WIA (Non-evac). An initial investigation of the incident indicated an error had been made in a TPQ-10 drop which had been scheduled for 1 Feb at BS827410. No further report on the incident has been made available to this organization to date."
Source:
Para 7, HQ 3/7 Marines ltr 3/WHG/dlj 3480 dtd 1 June 1967
The TPQ-10 system allowed a ground radar controller to vector an aircraft into position to release its weapons without the aircrew ever seeing the target ... but accuracy depended upon both ground and aircrew doing things just right. In this incident someone wasn't "just right" and a Marine died as a direct result of the error.

 
A memorial initiated by a fellow Marine,
George Martin
m37bulldog@aol.com 
31 May 2002


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