Missy Beach is raising money for a plaque to honor the memory of Gary L. Hall, a fellow Holmes High grad. (Patrick Reddy photos) | ZOOM |

        COVINGTON — In an era when many avoided their duty, 18-year-old Covington native Gary Lee Hall volunteered for military service.

        The Holmes High School graduate and Purple Heart recipient is believed to be one of the last two American combat casualties of the Vietnam era.

        Now, more than a quarter-century after his death, several groups are recognizing the young Marine machine gunner whose heroic actions mirrored the cinematic deeds of his boyhood idol, John Wayne.

        Last seen covering his fellow Marines as they left the island of Koh Tang in Cambodia two weeks after the fall of Saigon, Pfc. Hall was listed as missing in action and declared dead July 21, 1976.

        The local honors — a permanent display about his life and a street named after him — are coming at the behest of two people who never met Pfc. Hall.

Pfc. Hall's POW/MIA bracelet worn by Beach. | ZOOM |

        Missy Beach, who wears Pfc. Hall's POW/MIA bracelet, is the 31-year-old daughter of a Korean War veteran and an employee of a Covington construction company. Charles Pangburn III, 46, is a Fort Mitchell lawyer and member of the Marine Corps Reserve.

        At the suggestion of Ms. Beach, the Covington Board of Education agreed in February to erect a bronze plaque in honor of Pfc. Hall. Family members also have donated memorabilia from the young Marine's life, including photos and military documents, to VFW Post 6095 of Latonia, where they soon will be on permanent display.

        Two weeks ago, members of Kenton Fiscal Court agreed to name the main road in Banklick Woods Park “Gary Lee Hall Drive” at Mr. Pangburn's recommendation.

        “It's not just for Gary Lee Hall, but for all the servicemen and Americans that he represents,” Mr. Pangburn told county officials. “He was just a kid, but he made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Battle of Koh Tang

        On May 15, 1975, the young machine gunner was among more than 200 Marines sent to Koh Tang to rescue the 40-man crew of the SS Mayaguez. The U.S. merchant ship had been seized by the commu nist Khmer Rouge.

        Unknown to the Marines, the Khmer Rouge had released the crew. Instead, hundreds of heavily-armed Cambodians were waiting on the island. Heavy gunfire was ex changed, and the Marines aborted the mission.

        A three-member machine gun crew, including Pfc. Hall, covered the Marines' retreat.

        Although the U.S. Marine Corps has in its creed a vow to never leave a man behind, the three at Koh Tang inadvertently were left because of the chaos.

        In recent years, declassified accounts of that mission said that U.S. planes flew over Koh Tang's beaches days after the fierce fighting had ended, in search of any Americans still alive.

        “That was a sad closing of a tragic chapter in Southeast Asia,” sais Jerry Newberry, director of communications for the national headquarters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City, Mo. “Our military certainly didn't make a habit of leaving people behind. And the Marines especially would never stand for that. You're talking about an elite club (and) a long proud tradition that goes back more than 200 years.”

        In The Last Battle: The Mayaguez Incident and the End of the Vietnam War, published last year, author Ralph Wetterhahn offered one of the most complete accounts yet of what had happened to the three men left on the beach.

        One Marine was captured the day after the battle and executed on the spot. Two others, including a soldier thought to be Pfc. Hall, evaded capture for several days. Mr. Wetterhahn reported the two were imprisoned on the main island for about a week, then brutally executed.

        “For Hall, who joined the Marines as an 18-year-old boy, he had attained his manhood through the Corps and proved it better than his idol, John Wayne, ever could, humping the heavy machine gun up and down the beach and holding off the Khmer Rouge to the very end,” Mr. Wetterhahn wrote.

Local supporters

        Ms. Beach learned of Pfc. Hall's story a year and a half ago when the Taylor Mill resident went online in search of a local soldier missing in action who the ladies auxiliary of VFW Post 6095 could adopt.

        “I'm a graduate of Holmes High School, and so is Gary Lee Hall, so it just kind of connected,” Ms. Beach said. “Later, I found out my aunt and uncle had lived a block from where he grew up in Covington.”

        For Mr. Pangburn, the experience was similar.

        A year older than Mr. Hall, he was a 19-year-old plebe at the U.S. Naval Academy when the Mayaguez incident occurred.

        “To learn later that this kid, only a year younger than me, was involved in this was very upsetting,” said Mr. Pangburn, who has worn various military uniforms for the past 28 years. “He shouldn't have been there. The war was over for us.”

        When he read about Mr. Wetterhahn's book last summer, Mr. Pangburn was mesmerized by Pfc. Hall's story, and rushed out to buy the book.

        “What this kid did was really incredible, but he died probably thinking no one would ever know what happened in his last two weeks,” Mr. Pangburn said. “He stayed at his post and did his duty to the last.”

Archbishop addresses priest sex scandal
Church records subpoenaed in sexual abuse probe
New police watchdog proposed
Airport wins $131 million for runway expansion
FAA agent reveals security lapses
Inspector finds plenty of security breaches
PULFER: Bloated Oscar still has appeal
RADEL: Soldier's legacy: Comfort for other parents
Woman dies after stabbing
School leader's resignation stirs confusion
State awards play program
Fatal fight with father called self-defense
Fill-in negotiator joins profiling case
Good News: Cancer support strong
Local Digest
Recreation Notes
Woman accused of faking robbery
Middletown taps schools chief
Oxford promotes 'Green Tea Day'
Man jailed in assault case
S. Lebanon, neighbor OK land deal
Tributes developing for Vietnam era Marine
Ads urge gambling expansion
N.Ky. cheerleaders No. 1
Bridge study's value questioned
Ex-sheriff feared dead
Guard families in budget bind
Kentucky Digest
Manufactured-home bill unpopular in House
'Megan's Law' challenged
Ohio State president leaving
Proposed power bill faces scrutiny
Schools under federal decrees