This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Cherie Sawyer-Family
to remember
Marine LCpl Larry Eugene Adolf.
If you knew or served with this Marine and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Casualty Info
Home Town Omaha
Last Address Omaha
Casualty Date May 09, 1968
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Gun, Small Arms Fire
Location Quang Tri (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Graceland Park Cemetery - South Omaha, Nebraska
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Phase IV Campaign (1968)/Operation Kentucky / Battle near Cam Lo River
From Month/Year
May / 1968
To Month/Year
May / 1968
Description 1st Bn, 26th Marines was withdrawn from Khe Sanh on 16 April 1968, moving first to Wunder Beach southeast of Quang Tri City for rest and refurbishment. On 07 May the battalion departed Wunder Beach to conduct search and destroy operations on the north bank of the Cam Lo River opposite the Dong Ha Combat Base.
May 6, 1968
The fight between the BLT 2/4 and the NVA at Do Dai (northeast of Dong Ha) has developed into a multi-battalion action.
May 7, 1968
The battalion and Delta Co. are trucked from Wonder Beach to Dong Ha to begin a sweep of the area north and west towards Thon Cam Vu. This operation is a sweep of a portion of the 9th Marines Kentucky AO. The battalion makes slow progress with a tactical movement north along Route 1. At the end of the day, 1/26 reaches the area where the ARVN has been hit by units of the 320th NVA Division days before and takes night defensive positions.
May 8, 1968
The battalion moves in a westerly direction. Between the villages, the rice paddy fields spread out -- some are very large. The battalion uses prep fire by artillery and tanks on the tree line before advancing on the targeted area of this operation. The battalion moves towards the ville and is hit by 130-mm artillery rounds. The counter-battery fire from Dong Ha immediately responds. The ville has been extensively fortified. However, the NVA abandon their positions in haste, leaving some ammunition and fresh food behind. The battalion and Delta Co. take night defensive positions in this area. the following Delta Co. Marine was killed:
Pfc. James Chambers, 5/8/68 - Killed by friendly fire west of Dong Ha
It didn't take long to find the North Vietnamese Army - on 09 May an engagement about 6 kilometers north-northwest of Dong Ha airfield cost the lives of twelve Marines and sailors.
Delta Co. is the point company for the battalion in the morning advance and moves out along the center of a low gully in a westerly direction. As the company pushes forward, a heavy volume of automatic weapons fire opens up from NVA units fighting from fortified positions. In addition to their many machine gun bunkers, the NVA uses both rockets and mortars to harass the movement of the Marines returning fire. Delta Co. was reinforced by Charlie Co. in the assault and Bravo Co. with tanks providing a base of fire.
The attack continues. With the help of tanks, the NVA are pushed out of the ville. The battalion and Delta Co. recover casualties and take night defensive positions around the ville. The night is long with the crying of the village women and the silhouette of the dead Marines gathered together waiting for daybreak and their helicopter flight back to Dong Ha.
During the attack, the battalion suffers about 50 killed and wounded. Delta Company sustains the most casualties, including the Company Commander, who is killed. The following Delta Co. Marines are KIA:
D Company:
Capt Edward J. Hughes, White Plains, NY
LCpl Larry E. Adolf, Omaha, NE
LCpl Kurtis N. Chapman, Overland Park, KS
LCpl Homer Mitchell, Montgomery, AL
LCpl Jack E. Porter, Dayton, OH
LCpl Robert P. Sickles, Avon, NY
Pfc Eugenio E. Fernandez, Romulus, MI
Pfc Edward A. Gillaspy, La Habra, CA
Pfc Billy G. Stewart, Swannanoa, NC
H&S Company:
Cpl Paul L. Frederickson, Battle Creek, MI
HM3 Winston G. Parker, Columbus, OH
HN Melvin G. Windham, El Paso, TX
Note: Operation Kentucky was a multi-Battalion operation conducted by the United States Marine Corps in the area south of the DMZ in Quang Tri Province. This was another operation to secure the Con Thien area from the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). The operation ran from November 1, 1967 until February 28, 1969.
