Genealogy Data Page 735 (Notes Pages)

For privacy reasons, Date of Birth and Date of Marriage for persons believed to still be living are not shown.

Lohden Aaron [Male]

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Daughtery Martha [Female] b. ABT. 1806 NC

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Ella H. [Female] b. 29 APR 1874 VA - d. 21 OCT 1955 Evergreen Cemetery, Rutherford Co., Murfreeboro, TN

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Compton Thelma Delores [Female] b. --Not Shown--

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Delores has been very helpful with information concerning the Boyd andPitts family. Thanks t o her a lot of the dates have been corrected andtells of the Boyd family have been preserved.

Delores moved to Michigan and graduated from Pontiac High in 1943.

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Boyd Robert Ray (Bobby) [Male] b. 21 APR 1941 Rutherford Co, Tennessee - d. 17 MAY 1967 Viet Nam. Buried in Coleman Cemetery near Murfreesboro, TN

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Bobby graduated from Central High School in Murfreesboro in 1959 withhonors. In 1964, he rec eived his BS degree in chemistry from MiddleTennessee State University and Second Lieutenan t rank from th e ROTC. Hewas assigned to the 101st Airborne Artillery at Fort Cambell. Hegr aduated from the Field Artillery Officers Basic Course and was sent toViet Nam in July of 196 5.

On October 24, 1965, he was awarded the "Certificate of Merit inRecognition of Outstanding Pe rformance of Duty". On March 16, 1966, he
was awarded the "Bronze Star Metal for Heroism" for moving under heavyenemy fire to the plato on which was receiving the brunt of the newattack. He directed artillery fire upon the Viet C ong while ex posinghimself to fire for five hours.

Bobby was promoted to Captain in January of 1967 and was stationed atBein Hoa Air Base near S aigon as the Communications Officer for the 173rdAirborne Division.

He signed up for a second tour of duty and came home for a short stay. OnMay 17 Captain Boy d was preparing for a convoy when a shell from ahostile mortar round hit him. He was kille d instantly by a very smallfragment which hit his heart in Hua Nghia Province, Vietnam.

On July 15, 1967, the United States Army presented posthumous awards toCaptain Ray Boyd The P urple Heart, the Bronze Star Metal and The AirMedal with First Oak Leaf Cluster.

Bobby's grave is marked: Tenn. Capt. Btry A. 3BN., 319 Arty. 173Airborne DDE Vietnam BSM-AM -PH, Apr. 21, 1941-May 17, 1967.

ID: OF100462
Branch: Army
Component: Regular
Grade: CAPT/03
MOS: 71193
Tour Date: 07/08/65
Casualty Date: 05/17/65
Length/Service: 2
CACCF Ref No. 6168

Vietnam Veterans Memorial 1955-1975, Panel 20E Line 12: 15 May - 27 May'67

Written by: Ed Privette, Major USA (Ret), Franklin, North Carolina

Captain Robert Ray Boyd and I were together at a fire support base nearSwan Loc Vietnam for a bout ten days in May of 1967. He was with the 319thArtillery (Abn), and, as I remember he wa s commanding the Artillerybattery co-located with the communications elements, of which I wa s OIC,and 4.2 mortar platoon of the 2d Battalion 503d Infantry. Boyd and Ispent a week or s o together and we shared a lot of tasks which includedthe security of the fire support base . Boyd's troopers got fire-missionsand they fired HE (high explosive) rounds all night long a nd some timesduring the day. We kept the communications up and running to the BrigadeHeadquar ters and the deployed companies in the area as well as providingfire support. Friendships ar e made quickly in a situation like we foundourselves in and Boyd and I found we had a lot i n common. Bothsoutherners, he from Tennessee and me from neighboring North Carolina, wehad ma ny conversations about life back home. I had only been in Vietnam afew weeks and he had bee n there over a year so he was able to give me afew pointers.

We got the word on the afternoon of May 16th that we would be air liftedout by helicopter th e following day and return to Bien Hoa base camp. Allof us were really happy to hear that. Sh owers, hot fo od, and beer! Thisperiod was really expected to be a laid back easy time to giv e our peoplesome well deserved rest. On the morning of May 17th the "hooks" (largeChinook CH- 47 transport helicopters) started air lifting our equipmentand men back to Bien Hoa. By after noon most of the equipment and abouthalf the men were gone. We knew it was a dangerous situat ion, and eachtime the helicopters li fted upward, their prop wash caused a terribledust stor m and a lot of noise.

The Viet Cong choose just this time, with all the dust and noise to startmortaring us and fir ing RPG rockets. Due to all the dust and noise mostof us were unaware that we were taking som e VERY accur ate incoming enemyfire. After several seconds people started falling all aroun d us and werealized what was happening. The helicopters, by now riddled with holesleft the ar ea, temporarily, and helic opter gun ships and air forcefighters were called in to stop the a ttack. Within 15 minutes it was allover. We took a large number of casualties for several rea sons. Onereason, we had covered in alm ost all of our defensive positions(bunkers, foxholes , etc) just a short time before the attack. Also, dueto the dust and noise of the helicopter s we heard and saw nothing.

I was on one of the last medivac helicopters taking out the wounded. Ilooked at everyone on t he chopper when I boarded but didn't realize thatmy newfound southern friend was with me. Tha t is, until the wind lifted aponcho covering a lifeless body laying on the floor and reveale d the faceof young Captain Boyd.

God bless, protect, and keep you old friend!

Ed Privette
Major USA (Ret)
Franklin, North Carolina