Shadow box

Glenn graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia with an engineering degree. Glenn enlisted in the Marine Corps with the intention of becoming a Marine Officer. He was a member of the 2nd Platoon of Alpha Company at the 38th Officer Candidate Course in Quantico, VA. Glenn successfully completing OCS and was commissioned a 2nd Lt in the Marine Corps Reserve on December 17, 1965. He was next assigned to 3rd Platoon of Delta Company at The Basic School successfully completing that instruction on May 27, 1966. As Glenn was assigned a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS 1301) as a Combat Engineer, he completed the Basic Engineering Officer training at Camp Lejeune, NC. When Glenn arrived in Vietnam, he was assigned as a platoon commander with Alpha Company, 7th Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, IIIMAF. At the time of his unfortunate death on March 28, 1967, he was sitting in on a training class being conducted for 12 members of his platoon by their Platoon Sergeant, S/Sgt Jackie Kinslow. The subject of the class was 'How disarm the M-16 'Bouncing Betty' Anti-Personnel Mine'. This squad from Glenn's platoon was being trained in their company area to properly orient them for a new mission they were about to be assigned. The squad was about to relieve another combat engineer squad, who had been clearing a minefield. The minefield had originally been installed by U. S. forces around the Danang Airfield early in the war. lt had to be removed to allow for expansion of the airbase infrastructure to accommodate additional aviation units arriving shortly. The minefield consisted of M-16 'Bouncing Betty' mines. The mines had been rigged so when the three pronged firing device was activated the mine would be projected upward 8 to 10 feet before exploding and sending shrapnel out in all directions. The platoon sergeant had removed a portion of the firing device of the mine he was using for demonstration purposes, but this had not fully inactivate the mine. At 08:20 on the morning of March 28, 1967, the live mine exploded, blowing off the platoon sergeant's right arm and killing the other 13 Marines in the class, including Glenn. Glenn suffered mortal fragmentation wounds to the head and chest. The classroom where he died was in the Alpha Company's Command Post on the Tuy Loan River close to the Tuy Loan Bridge in Quang Nam Province about 5 kilometers southwest of the Danang Airfield. A granite monument surrounded by 13 trees was erected on the grounds of Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge, PA to honor the memory of those who died in this incident. The 13 Marines that died in this unfortunate accident were the following:

2nd Lt Glenn M. McCarty
Cpl Daniel R. Laird
Cpl Ronald W. Porter
Cpl Glenn W. Shafer
Cpl Howard S. Stevens
Cpl Verrell D. Stiles
LCpl Thomas C. Bekiempis
LCpl Stanley Davidheiser, Jr.
LCpl Larry C. Dye
LCpl Anthony Hawkins
LCpl Eugene J. Payne lll
LCpl Don L. Schockley
PFC Otis R. Ellis, Jr.

The 'Marines Circle of Trees' is just north of the Martha Washington Building and the Gold Star Mothers Plaza on the site.

McCarty, Glenn Murray, 2ndLt