HUIE, ERBLAND, PALUMBO

ROBERT ANDREW HUIE
Corporal, Army, 2/47/9th Inf Div
Oneota, Alabama
Born Sept 9, 1948 -- Died Jan 31, 1968
Bien Hoa, South Vietnam
Ground Casualty, Rocket Propelled Grenade
Panel 36E Line 17

Huie was an Alabama boy who was one of the most skilled poker players. He was killed during Tet and at the time of his death, many owed him money. (J. Driessler, Nov 1999)

About a week before Tet, an APC hit a civilian vehicle (a lambretta), which went flying into a crowd of kids. One boy was struck a glancing blow and began bleeding in the forehead. Huie was the first man to jump off the track to see if he could help anyone; he also grabbed the injured kid and saw that he received medical attention. He may have saved that boy's life; the boy had an injured foot apparently received earlier and gangrene was setting in. The medics treated the boy.

Huie was the .50 gunner on the 2nd squad track when it was hit by an RPG.(R. Dyson, Nov 1999)

ANTHONY PAUL PALUMBO
SP4, Army, 2/47/9th Inf Div
Buffalo, NY
Born Dec 6, 1947 -- Died May 12, 1968
Gia Dinh, South Vietnam
Ground Casualty, Multiple fragmentation wounds
Panel 59E Line 10

Anthony Paul Palumbo, what a great guy. During the second offensive in May, me and another fellow had run out of water. It was hot and humid; Palumbo gave us the last of his water, God bless him..

Midway through the fighting, a fellow by the name of Stanley and myself were put on the flank to put a damper on any possible shenanigans from the NVA if they decided to cross an open area. We were kneeling behind a wall when we heard a loud explosive clang and almost at the same time, the phizzzz of a large chunk of shrapnel whirred just above our heads. Stanley looked at me and asked me what the fuck that was. Then we could hear frenzied cries of "Medic! Medic!" I couldn't stand it and ran to where the company was. The battalion commander had called a 105 shell in on the company. The first casualty I saw was Tony Palumbo. Five other troopers were badly wounded. One of them (they were second platoon) put his arm around my neck and I helped him to a chopper. He thanked me, for what? (J. Driessler, Nov 1999)

NORMAN JOSEPH ERBLAND
SGT, Army, 2/47/9th Inf Div
Fostoria, Ohio
Born Jan 16, 1944 -- Died March 2, 1968
Bien Hoa, South Vietnam
Ground Casualty, Multiple fragmentation wounds
Panel 42E Line 30

Erbland was a sergeant I knew early in my tour-a good luck charm. He was always upbeat and it was infectious. A very nice person who was a good trooper. When he was killed it was a serious blow to our morale. (J. Driessler, Nov 1999)

Norman Erbland was one of the most likable and respected guys in the first platoon when I arrived in December 1967. Always smiling, he seemed to know what to do and motivated people to do the right thing. I was never in his squad, so I cannot remember any particular stories about him. His death truly upset me. At that time, I was at Bear Cat recuperating from a minor operation. When I heard that he was killed, I was filled with guilt that I was not there. (R. Dyson, 11/99)