Length of service 0 years
His tour began on Dec 1, 1967
Casualty was on Mar 18, 1968
In BINH DUONG, SOUTH VIETNAM
HOSTILE, GROUND CASUALTY
MULTIPLE FRAGMENTATION WOUNDS
Body was recovered
I remember Michael as a quiet, unassuming young man. In late 1967, we were both working at K-Mart Foods on Long Point Drive in Spring Branch. I don't recall if he enlisted or was drafted, but in any event, he entered the Army and went away for basic training. After basic, he returned one last time to see us and of course, he was sporting a brand new buzz cut! He was deployed and we heard soon after that he had been killed in Viet Nam. His name, information about his service and tributes from his comrades are listed on the online version of the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial (The Wall). He was a member of the 101st Airborne, a "Screaming Eagle". Michael was less than two weeks past his 19th birthday when he died. Just saying "Thanks" seems so inadequate for what he gave. I intend to honor his sacrifice by not forgetting.
The following burial information is cut and pasted directly from the VA website:
Tet Counteroffensive Campaign 30 January to 1 April 1968
This campaign was from 30 January to 1 April 1968. On 29 January 1968 the Allies began the Tet-lunar new year expecting the usual 36-hour peaceful holiday truce. Because of the threat of a large-scale attack and communist buildup around Khe Sanh, the cease fire order was issued in all areas over which the Allies were responsible with the exception of the I CTZ, south of the Demilitarized Zone.
Determined enemy assaults began in the northern and Central provinces before daylight on 30 January and in Saigon and the Mekong Delta regions that night. Some 84,000 VC and North Vietnamese attacked or fired upon 36 of 44 provincial capitals, 5 of 6 autonomous cities, 64 of 242 district capitals and 50 hamlets. In addition, the enemy raided a number of military installations including almost every airfield. The actual fighting lasted three days; however Saigon and Hue were under more intense and sustained attack.
The attack in Saigon began with a sapper assault against the U.S. Embassy. Other assaults were directed against the Presidential Palace, the compound of the Vietnamese Joint General Staff, and nearby Ton San Nhut air base.
At Hue, eight enemy battalions infiltrated the city and fought the three U.S. Marine Corps, three U.S. Army and eleven South Vietnamese battalions defending it. The fight to expel the enemy lasted a month. American and South Vietnamese units lost over 500 killed, while VC and North Vietnamese battle deaths may have been somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000.
Heavy fighting also occurred in two remote regions: around the Special Forces camp at Dak To in the central highlands and around the U.S. Marines Corps base at Khe Sanh. In both areas, the allies defeated attempts to dislodge them. Finally, with the arrival of more U.S. Army troops under the new XXIV Corps headquarters to reinforce the marines in the northern province, Khe Sanh was abandoned.
Tet proved a major military defeat for the communists. It had failed to spawn either an uprising or appreciable support among the South Vietnamese. On the other hand, the U.S. public became discouraged and support for the war was seriously eroded. U.S. strength in South Vietnam totaled more than 500,000 by early 1968. In addition, there were 61,000 other allied troops and 600,000 South Vietnamese.
The Tet Offensive also dealt a visibly severe setback to the pacification program, as a result of the intense fighting needed to root out VC elements that clung to fortified positions inside the towns. For example, in the densely populated delta there had been approximately 14,000 refugees in January; after Tet some 170,000 were homeless. The requirement to assist these persons seriously inhibited national recovery efforts.
Perhaps there are others who have undergone a 180 degree change in thought since the days of Vietnam. As many did, I opposed the war, not out of fear, but it took my cousin in its early months. My opinion changed as I met more of the men and women who served the effort, both in Vietnam and in support of the mission elsewhere. If I could have a moment to turn back the clock, I would go back and serve. Men like Michael lived with a commitment to our liberty and its defense.
Thanks John I lost my brother in Vietnam and I was suppose to meet him at China Beach for R&R. He was there 6 days. He died the day after his 20th birthday he was a marine. I was south of Siagon and met him at the funeral home in Houston. There was a lot of anger but at the same time a lot of pride. The 60' and 70's were a different era, than today. I appreciate your perepectative.
I never met Michael but I know the sorrow, pain and love his family has for him. He is not forgotten.
Thank you John & Carroll for remembering our fallen classmate. I, also, did not know Michael, but as the wife of a Navy radioman who was in special forces & served in Southeast Asia when we were not there, & who was shot in Cambodia, and as the mother of a Marine, I appreciate your remembering Michael. I am grateful that the one thing that we learned from this war is to honor our vets. I am sorry that those returning from Viet Nam were not respected & honored. Thank you, Michael, for your supreme sacrifice.
Carrol Johnson
I remember Michael as a quiet, unassuming young man. In late 1967, we were both working at K-Mart Foods on Long Point Drive in Spring Branch. I don't recall if he enlisted or was drafted, but in any event, he entered the Army and went away for basic training. After basic, he returned one last time to see us and of course, he was sporting a brand new buzz cut! He was deployed and we heard soon after that he had been killed in Viet Nam. His name, information about his service and tributes from his comrades are listed on the online version of the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial (The Wall). He was a member of the 101st Airborne, a "Screaming Eagle". Michael was less than two weeks past his 19th birthday when he died. Just saying "Thanks" seems so inadequate for what he gave. I intend to honor his sacrifice by not forgetting.
The following burial information is cut and pasted directly from the VA website:
Ben Cunningham
I will remember. And honor.
Carrol Johnson
Michael David Carroll
Private First Class
Carrol Johnson
D CO, 3RD BN, 187TH INFANTRY, 101ST ABN DIV, USARV
Army of the United States
Houston, Texas
March 05, 1949 to March 18, 1968
MICHAEL D CARROLL is on the Wall at Panel 45E Line 018
See the full profile for Michael Carroll
Carrol Johnson
Carrol Johnson
Tet Counteroffensive Campaign 30 January to 1 April 1968
This campaign was from 30 January to 1 April 1968. On 29 January 1968 the Allies began the Tet-lunar new year expecting the usual 36-hour peaceful holiday truce. Because of the threat of a large-scale attack and communist buildup around Khe Sanh, the cease fire order was issued in all areas over which the Allies were responsible with the exception of the I CTZ, south of the Demilitarized Zone.
Determined enemy assaults began in the northern and Central provinces before daylight on 30 January and in Saigon and the Mekong Delta regions that night. Some 84,000 VC and North Vietnamese attacked or fired upon 36 of 44 provincial capitals, 5 of 6 autonomous cities, 64 of 242 district capitals and 50 hamlets. In addition, the enemy raided a number of military installations including almost every airfield. The actual fighting lasted three days; however Saigon and Hue were under more intense and sustained attack.
The attack in Saigon began with a sapper assault against the U.S. Embassy. Other assaults were directed against the Presidential Palace, the compound of the Vietnamese Joint General Staff, and nearby Ton San Nhut air base.
At Hue, eight enemy battalions infiltrated the city and fought the three U.S. Marine Corps, three U.S. Army and eleven South Vietnamese battalions defending it. The fight to expel the enemy lasted a month. American and South Vietnamese units lost over 500 killed, while VC and North Vietnamese battle deaths may have been somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000.
Heavy fighting also occurred in two remote regions: around the Special Forces camp at Dak To in the central highlands and around the U.S. Marines Corps base at Khe Sanh. In both areas, the allies defeated attempts to dislodge them. Finally, with the arrival of more U.S. Army troops under the new XXIV Corps headquarters to reinforce the marines in the northern province, Khe Sanh was abandoned.
Tet proved a major military defeat for the communists. It had failed to spawn either an uprising or appreciable support among the South Vietnamese. On the other hand, the U.S. public became discouraged and support for the war was seriously eroded. U.S. strength in South Vietnam totaled more than 500,000 by early 1968. In addition, there were 61,000 other allied troops and 600,000 South Vietnamese.
The Tet Offensive also dealt a visibly severe setback to the pacification program, as a result of the intense fighting needed to root out VC elements that clung to fortified positions inside the towns. For example, in the densely populated delta there had been approximately 14,000 refugees in January; after Tet some 170,000 were homeless. The requirement to assist these persons seriously inhibited national recovery efforts.
John Weinstein
Perhaps there are others who have undergone a 180 degree change in thought since the days of Vietnam. As many did, I opposed the war, not out of fear, but it took my cousin in its early months. My opinion changed as I met more of the men and women who served the effort, both in Vietnam and in support of the mission elsewhere. If I could have a moment to turn back the clock, I would go back and serve. Men like Michael lived with a commitment to our liberty and its defense.
Don Sony
Thanks John I lost my brother in Vietnam and I was suppose to meet him at China Beach for R&R. He was there 6 days. He died the day after his 20th birthday he was a marine. I was south of Siagon and met him at the funeral home in Houston. There was a lot of anger but at the same time a lot of pride. The 60' and 70's were a different era, than today. I appreciate your perepectative.
I never met Michael but I know the sorrow, pain and love his family has for him. He is not forgotten.
Mary Greer Gibson (Szczepaniak)
Thank you John & Carroll for remembering our fallen classmate. I, also, did not know Michael, but as the wife of a Navy radioman who was in special forces & served in Southeast Asia when we were not there, & who was shot in Cambodia, and as the mother of a Marine, I appreciate your remembering Michael. I am grateful that the one thing that we learned from this war is to honor our vets. I am sorry that those returning from Viet Nam were not respected & honored. Thank you, Michael, for your supreme sacrifice.