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PFC. THOMAS WILLIAM STEELE

Born on May 13, 1949
From COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
Casualty was on Sept. 11, 1968
in QUANG NAM, SOUTH VIETNAM
HOSTILE, GROUND CASUALTY
GUN, SMALL ARMS FIRE

Panel 44W - - Line 31


Thomas William Steele (right)
(picture courtesy of Joe Walters)

Pfc. Thomas William Steele served with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, Mike Company, 2nd platoon. His name stands proudly on the Mike 3/5 Wall of Honor. Semper fi, Brother Marine. We will never forget.


Joe Walters, Jim Quinn, Unidentified, Steele (front, right)
(picture courtesy of Joe Walters)

PFC. Thomas William Steele

Steele – You were my radio man, and a damn good one. You never complained even though we worked under terrible conditions. You were like a kid brother. Captain Pacello paid you the best compliment when I first met you. He said, ”Lieutenant, this is Private Steele and everywhere that you go, he goes.” He patted you on your back and continued, “This is a good Marine!” Steele, you were [are] a Good Marine, and it was an honor to have served with you.~Lt. Joseph Walters, Mike Co. 3/5, 1968

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Remembering Pfc. Thomas W. Steele
Sent in by Peggy Anthony, Thomas Steele's aunt


(Articles are in PDF format, click to open)

The first news article is about Joe Walters and my nephew, Thomas W. Steele (Tommy), printed in our local paper, the Punxsutawney Spirit on 9/11/13. I had help from Michele Huey, an author that writes a weekly column for the Indiana Gazette called " God, Me and a Cup of Tea"-and a very good Christian Friend. She was an editor for our local paper, an English teacher for our high school and Christian School. I didn't know where to start when I wanted to write about Joe and Tommy so I met her at her beautiful log cabin home near here. Going over my material, Joe's book, "Strength in Numbers," she gave me these guide lines, to focus on Joe and Tommy during their 3 months together and experiences. Then a side bar telling how Joe and I met. I gave the editor the pictures and he chose what to use. I was very happy when Michele read the article in the paper and gave me very high marks, saying that what I was trying to say came from my heart, and not my head.

Terry Fye helped me with the second article about when we moved Tommy's body back to Pennsylvania in 2005 so he could be buried by his mother. I wrote the article, but Terry polished it and had it printed.

If you haven't read Joe Walter's son's book, "Strength in Numbers," get a copy. For our family, it was a very emotional time, and one aunt said a "real crying time." My late brother Bill, Tommy's father, would be so very proud, satisfied, with a closure to finally "know" what happened.~Peggy Anthony

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Honoring Pfc. Thomas William Steele
Killed In Action Sept. 11, 1968


Joe Walters (center) presenting signed Marine Corps flag to Pfc. Steele's family
(picture courtesy of Ed Browder)

I have been in contact with Pfc. Thomas Steele's family for about three years. They came to the reunion last month in at the David Johnston American Legion Post in Pickerington, Ohio, and we met for the first time. They were presented with a flag and we also had a brick with Steele 's name on it. Peggy was able to lay the brick alongside the names of many of the men from Mike Company 3/5. Presenting the flag and the ceremony with the brick was a very emotional time for me, and I assume for the family, but in the end, we had a good time. Jim Quinn, DOC Whitbeck, and Dan Hignight enjoyed spending time with the family. Tom Wiseman and the rest of the men in the first platoon were excited to meet them. There were also other people there who were able to say hello. Semper Fi, Joe Walters


M Co. 3/5 Marines gathered to honor Pfc. Steele in Ohio
Memorial Day, 2013

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M Co. 3/5 Marines Killed In Action
September 11, 1968


LCPL Jerry Don Copeland
Memorial page

PFC Richard Gale Daniels
Memorial page

PFC James Hoyez
Memorial page

PFC Armando Lopez
Memorial page

PFC Phillip Edward Slaughter
Memorial page

CPL Douglas Mark Smith
Memorial page

PFC Thomas William Steele
Memorial page

HN Thomas Edward Welker (corpsman)
Memorial page

PFC Owen White, Jr.
Memorial page

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