Pfc. Talmadge Wayne Carnell served with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, M Company. He was Killed In Action during Operation SWIFT. His name stands proudly on the Mike 3/5 Wall of Honor. Semper Fi, Brother Marine. We will never forget.

Operation SWIFT

ON THAT DAY I LOST A GOOD BUDDY, PFC. T. CARNELL. HE DIED IN MY ARMS . I FEEL THE GUILT THAT I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING TO SAVE HIM. I STILL REMEMBER VIVIDLY THE SOUND OF SPOOKY SO CLOSE TO OUR POSITION. SPOOKY CAME AROUND TWICE. I REMEMBER IT WAS SUNRISE. AT THIS POINT, WE LAID BACK AND FELT SAFE BECAUSE IT WASN'T DARK ANYMORE. THE SECOND TIME SPOOKY STARTED FIRING, MY SQUAD LEADER ASKED ME TO LOOK AND SEE WHERE SPOOKY WAS FIRING. I LOOKED OVER THE DIKE WE WERE BEHIND AND HEARD A MONSTROUS SOUND AND SAW DIRT KICKING UP AS IF A RAKE WAS DIGGING THE DIRT UP. AT THIS TIME I KNEW WE WERE BEING HIT BY SPOOKY. BEFORE I COULD FINISH YELLING INCOMING, IT ALREADY PASSED THROUGH OUR POSITION. I REMEMBER BUCKLING UP AND HOPING IT WOULDN'T HURT.

I NOTICED CARNELL MAKING A FUNNY FACE, IT WAS HIM GETTING HIT. I PICKED HIM UP INTO MY LAP. I WATCHED HIM MAKE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS BUT HE COULDN'T SPEAK, THEN HE STOPPED. THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER WAS THE PLATOON GOT TO US AND SOMEONE WAS CARRYING ME ON THEIR SHOULDER. WE HAD ONE DEAD AND TWO WOUNDED. I DIDN'T GET HIT. I REMEMBER THEY TAGGED CARNELL AND PUT HIM ON A CHOPPER, AND THAT WAS THE LAST ANYTHING WAS EVER SAID OF THE INCIDENT OR CARNELL. I THINK THIS IS PART OF THE TRAGEDIES OF WAR.

WITH GREAT RESPECT - SEMPER FI,
ELLIOT "RECON" RUBENFELD

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We called him "Tom"

Thank God for this web site, and to Elliot Rubenfeld for comforting him, and answers that have comforted me. I remember my brother, Talmadge Wayne Carnell, walking out the front door on my birthday of 1966 to go to Basic at Camp Pendleton. Tom, as we siblings called him before he decided that he prefered Wayne in high school, was born in Leachville, AR, and we all lived in the St. Louis and Roxana, IL areas.

Tom was an Eagle Scout and in Order of the Arrow the highest rank. He was a first string, Varsity tackle at Roxana High who played several games with a broken thumb. He was a Thespian playing Capt. Von Trapp, a guitarist prefering Dylan, folk music, and Paul Revere. He broke several ladies hearts when he joined the USMC, and had his eye on a new Mercury Cougar when he returned. Tom Grange was his enlistment buddy.

We all remember Sept.12, 1967 when it all ended. His dog Captain howled shortly before we were notifed, the first of 2 times in his 14 years here. We all miss him and thanks to you, my memories are less fuzzy.~William D. Carnell