Howell, Marion Sylvester, A1C

Deceased
 
 Service Photo   Service Details
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Last Rank
Airman 1st Class
Last Primary AFSC/MOS
92130-Rescue and Survival Specialist
Last AFSC Group
Aircrew Protection
Primary Unit
1963-1987, US Army (USA)
Service Years
1955 - 1962
Enlisted srcset=
Airman 1st Class

 Last Photo   Personal Details 

15 kb


Home State
South Carolina
South Carolina
Year of Birth
1935
 
This Military Service Page was created/owned by SSgt Robert Bruce McClelland, Jr. to remember Howell, Marion Sylvester, A1C.

If you knew or served with this Airman and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
 
Contact Info
Home Town
Hemingway, South Carolina
Last Address
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Date of Passing
May 07, 2007
 
Location of Interment
Lafayette Memorial Park - Fayetteville, North Carolina

 Official Badges 




 Unofficial Badges 

Cold War Medal




 Additional Information
Last Known Activity:

He served in the USAF, USAF Reserve, and US Army. He retired as a Command Sergeant Major Aug 1, 1987. His total military service years were 1955-1987.  

His Silver Star citation:
Awarded for actions during the Vietnam War

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant First Class Marion S. Howell, United States Army, for gallantry in action on 21 November 1970 as a member of an all-volunteer joint U.S. Army and Air Force raiding force in the Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed heliborne assault mission to rescue United States military personnel held as prisoners of war at Son Tay prison in North Vietnam. This valiant effort was motivated by a deep compassion for his imprisoned fellow men-at-arms and by a strong sense of military duty and national pride. Sergeant Howell, Senior Radio Operator for the ground force commander, landed in the objective with the command group of the raiding force. En route to his objective, he came under automatic weapons fire. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he fearlessly continued his mission of establishing his Command Post position. Still under fire, he operated the air-ground net flawlessly, even though the traffic was greatly intensified by major changes in the plan. When the Command Post was threatened by enemy soldiers, he returned fire without loss of efficiency in his communications duties. His complete disregard for his personal safety and his flawless execution of duty under fire reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.

General Orders: Department of the Army, General Orders No. 43 (August 9, 1971)

Action Date: 21-Nov-70

Service: Army

Rank: Sergeant First Class

Division: Son Tay Volunteer Task Force

   
Other Comments:

Sources:
www.veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.php
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=133542565
http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=24411
https://www.ancestry.com

   


Vietnam Advisory Campaign (1962-65)
From Month/Year
November / 1962
To Month/Year
March / 1965

Description
November 15, 1961-March 1, 1965 .
On November 15, 1961, the 2d Advanced Echelon (2d ADVON) was activated in Saigon, capital of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). The 2d ADVON, administratively part of the Thirteenth Air Force, controlled USAF units operating in Vietnam and reported to the Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam. The 4400th Combat Crew Training Squadron's FARM GATE detachment arrived on November 16. The FARM GATE, organization, although trained for counter insurgency combat, for about 2 months limited its mission to training Vietnamese aircrews and supporting with reconnaissance flights the operations of the Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). Activation of the 2d ADVON and arrival of the FARM GATE detachment heralded the buildup of the United States Air Force presence in Vietnam.

Responding to the Republic of Vietnam's appeal in December 1961 for increased military aid to counter Communist (Viet Cong) insurgents, the United States gradually increased its forces. From January 2 to 5, 1962, for example, the USAF moved a tactical air control system to South Vietnam and landed equipment and personnel at Tan Son Nhut Air Base (AB) in Saigon; Bien Hoa AB, I5 miles north of Saigon; Da Nang AB, 375 miles northeast of Saigon; Pleiku AB, in the Central Highlands 230 miles northeast of Saigon; and Nha Trang AB, on the coast, a little less than 200 miles northeast of Saigon. Shortly afterwards, on January 7, a flight of C-l23s equipped for aerial spray missions arrived at Tan Son Nhut. Code-named RANCH HAND, this USAF detachment 3 days later began defoliation operations that continued for 9 years.

To manage U.S. forces in Vietnam, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Command, at the direction of President John F. Kennedy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, created Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) on February 8, 1962. Army Gen. Paul D. Harkins was named the first Commander of MACV. The 2d ADVON became the air component of the new command. A few months later, on October 8, the USAF activated the 2d Air Division, which replaced the 2d ADVON. In spite of increased U.S. aid, the Viet Cong insurgency grew, and the government of South Vietnam faced growing civil disorder. A year later, on November 1, 1963, a group of South Vietnamese military officers deposed President Ngo Dinh Diem in a coup détat, and not until June 1965 would the South Vietnamese establish a reasonably stable government. Meanwhile, on June 20, 1964, Anny Gen. William C. Westmoreland became Commander of MACV.

Communist insurgents also operated actively in Laos, and in May 1964 United States involvement in Southeast Asia expanded to include military aid to that country. On June 9, F-100s flying from Takhli Air Base, Thailand, about 110 miles north of Bangkok, made the first USAF strike in Laos. Air Force pilots bombed an antiaircraft installation at Xiangkhoang, on the Plain of Jars, about 100 miles northeast of Vientiane, the Laotian capital. In December 1964 the USAF launched an air interdiction campaign against the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a network of roads, trails, and waterways in the southern Laotian panhandle.

The nature of the conflict in Southeast Asia changed dramatically in late 1964. On August 2 and 4 torpedo boats from North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) attacked U.S. naval vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin- On the 5th, U.S. naval aircraft launched retaliatory air strikes against coastal targets in North Vietnam. That same day the USAF deployed B-57s to Bien Hoa AB and F-100s to Da Nang AB. Then in December 1964 the Viet Cong used conventional field rather than hit-and-run tactics to drive South Vietnamese forces temporarily from Binh Gia, near the coast, only 40 miles southeast of Saigon. For both North and South Vietnam governmental authorities this battle marked an escalation of the conflict. As the war rapidly intensified, on February 7, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered American dependents evacuated from South Vietnam. The same day the Viet Cong shelled Pleiku Air Base. In retaliation, the USAF conducted its first raid against North Vietnam on the 8th,
hitting a target just north of the 17th parallel.
   
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
November / 1961
To Month/Year
March / 1962
 
Last Updated:
Feb 22, 2023
   
Personal Memories
   
My Photos From This Battle or Operation
No Available Photos

  615 Also There at This Battle:
  • Abel, John, A1C, (1957-1963)
  • Anderson, Dennis, Capt
  • Barbera, Barney, SSgt, (1959-1965)
  • Betsill, Sammy, Col
  • Billmyer, Ronald, Col, (1964-1997)
  • Black, Arthur Neil, Maj, (1963-1987)
  • Black, Courtney, TSgt
  • Blackmon, Archie, MSgt, (1955-1977)
  • Brash, Harry, (1958-1986)
  • Brown, James, SMSgt, (1951-1978)
  • Burch, James D., SSgt
  • Burdette, Franklin, Lt Col, (1952-1980)
  • Burkel, Fred, MSgt, (1960-1998)
  • Burney, Bill, SMSgt, (1957-1980)
  • Burr, William T., Sgt
  • Byrne, Ed, CMSgt, (1955-1985)
  • Campbell, Ernest, MSgt, (1955-1975)
  • Caruso, Michael, MSgt, (1958-1978)
  • Casazza, Lawrence, Capt
  • Chilton, Thomas, SMSgt, (1960-1988)
  • Clark, Eugene, A1C, (1955-1966)
  • Clement, Robert A., 1st Lt
  • Clinton, Robert F., MSgt, (1964-1994)
  • Cochrane, Gerald, MSgt, (1958-1980)
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