Larson was a Poster Marine, blondish brown hair and blue eyes. He would be referred to as a good old southern boy. He was assigned to 2nd squad 2nd platoon Kilo co 3/5. I knew Andrew, that is to say I had met him and we talked a little from time to time. He was a Gung Ho Marine much like we all were when we came out of boot camp and felt we could take on the anything, anytime and any place. I remember him on the end of his bunk at An Hoa, he was having his picture made with a K-bar between his teeth, grenade in one hand and 45 cal. pistol in the other. We called it John Wayne-ing. He said he was sending this home to his wife.

My understanding from talking with him is he had married his high school sweetheart while home on boot leave. She had came out to California to see him before he shipped out for the Nam. He talked about a December wedding and being married in a set of Dress Blues, and how sharp he looked.

Pfc. Larson lost his life in a sudden burst of automatic weapons fire when 2nd platoon Kilo company came under a savage attack from large force of NVA and Viet Cong. There was no time for him to display the bravery that the Marine Corps training had in stilled in him, no time for glory. He went down quickly and quietly, never even firing his weapon. These are things I know. I was the first one to him. He had no signs of the suffering you expect to find when someone has just been shot to death. His body was in tact and except for one small hole at the edge of his left pocket, you would have though he was sleeping, eyes open. When you puled his shirt back you could see he had been shot through the heart and was dead before he hit the ground.

He died with many other good Marines that day and as the 6th day of February starts to get close I start to think about them all and wonder what would have been, had we not been in that place on that day. I think about a young wife and maybe a child he never knew, and the hardship they must have endured. I wish I could hear from them just to say I'm sorry that I could not have done more for PFC "Andy" Larson, a good old southern boy from Tennessee.

With Deepest respect for all of the Marines who fought and were wounded and killed on Feb 6, 1968 in Quang Nam Province, Republic of South Vietnam.