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Marine LCpl Robert John Achas.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Springfield, IL
Last Address Springfield, IL
Casualty Date Mar 14, 1965
Cause KIA-Died of Wounds
Reason Misadventure
Location Quang Nam (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Camp Butler National Cemetery (VA) - Springfield, Illinois
FF ON RETURNING PATROL, HILL 271, 4 KM SW OF DANANG 19650314
UTM grid reference is AT964733
LCpl Achas died of wounds received from friendly fire on hill 327. Helo evacuation underway immediately. Achas�?? first wound, missile, penetrating abdomen, 2nd wound, missile penetrating chest. Achas expired approximately two and one half hours after being wounded.
Comments/Citation:
Tour start date 03/08/1965
Vietnam War/Advisory Campaign (1962-65)
From Month/Year
March / 1962
To Month/Year
March / 1965
Description This campaign period was from 15 March 1962 to 7 March 1965. During this period, direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam conflict increased steadily as U.S. trained Vietnamese pilots moved Vietnamese helicopter units into and out of combat. Ultimately the United States hoped that a strong Vietnamese government would result in improved internal security and national defense. The number of U.S. advisors in the field rose from 746 in January 1962 to over 3,400 by June; the entire U.S. commitment by the end of the year was 11,000, which included 29 U.S. Army Special Forces detachments. These advisory and support elements operated under the Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, a position established 8 February 1962. The object of American military assistance was to counter the threat to the government of the Republic of Vietnam posed by the insurgency of an estimated 30,000 regular communist Viet Cong and civilian sympathizers among the population. Despite what appeared to be considerable successes in consolidating the population in a series of defended strategic hamlets, and in establishing local defense forces, the U.S. equipped Army of the Republic of Vietnam repeatedly demonstrated an unwillingness to close with the enemy. A corrupt government and bitterly contending Vietnamese political factions further hampered a coherent prosecution of the war with American advisors, who nevertheless continued their efforts well into the period of large scale commitments of U.S. Army forces to the conflict.
