Frank Ambrose

Frank J. Ambrose, Mike 3/5 Frank went into the USMC straight after graduating from high school. He went to boot camp at Parris Island SC. From there he went to ITR at Camp Lejeune NC. There he received special advanced weapons training. After completing his training he went straight to Vietnam as a M-60 machine gunner (MOS 0331).

He was temporally assigned to H&S then permanently to Mike company 3/5. While in Vietnam he served in many combat operations. Some of these included Operation ESSEX, Operation AUBURN, the big TET offensive of 1968, Operation ALAMO and Operation HOUSTON. He was wounded 3 times by the NVA while on recon and ambush patrols. He was shot by an AK-47 assault riffle, wounded by a booby trap explosion and received shrapnel wounds in the face and chest from an enemy grenade.

He was awarded 3 Purple Hearts, 2 medals for valor, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Combat Action Ribbon, along with several other medals.

After Vietnam he was medivaced to a hospital platoon in Okinawa to recover from his injuries. Then was sent to San Miguel and Subic Bay, Philippines where he was assigned to a detached guard company. Later he went to Camp Pendleton. Then back to Camp Lejeune where he received his Honorable discharge from the USMC.

After the service, Frank obtained his degree in Criminal Justice. He was a Law Enforcement officer in Florida for 24 years. His major hobbies now are Amateur Radio "W4QV" and deer hunting. He has had major problems caused by the scar tissue inside his body from his injuries.

 His most memorable memories from Vietnam were as follows:

We were finally able to spend a few nights in a tent inside our perimeter instead of a muddy fox hole. Some damn gook shot a couple of sniper rounds into the tent. We had just that day been re-supplied with ammo. There were 4 tanks in the perimeter which was very rare. Everyone went to the perimeter wall including the tanks and opened up. The woods and trees were virtually mowed down by the ammunition that was being put out. The word must have spread among the enemy as we were told that perimeter never received any more sniper rounds. Mortar attacks continued on a regular basis.

There was a night when we were engaged in a major fire fight with the NVA. They had us pinned down in a cemetery behind some old tomb stones. The skies were clear and then out of no where PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON opened up on the NVA. He apparently had spotted their green tracers. Puff at that time was as I understand it a C-47 plane with muffled engines. It was equipped with 4 to 6, 50 cal. machine guns on each side. It was said that they could hit every square foot of a football field with a 50 cal. round in less than a minute. Puff got the full attention of the NVA and we were able to hold for reinforcements and advance at daybreak. That was the only time I ever saw Puff.

One time we were headed back to the perimeter after being on a night recon patrol. There were 8 of us and we had an ARVN point man. Gooks had set up to ambush us as we returned by a pretty normal route. By a twist of fate we had decided to walk a path off that route as we returned. We walked in right behind them unseen. We completely wiped them out before they realized what had happened

Feb. 7, 1968

On Feb. 5th or 6th 1968, we (Mike Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division) had made contact with some NVA from the 2nd NVA regiment. We were able to take some prisoners (I think 11). The U.S. Army had more gear then we did. They had a 106 recoilless mounted on a jeep (called a Mule). As we were always in combat, prisoners were no big thing. From what I understand we wound up swapping the Army unit our prisoners for the Mule. That way they would get credit for the NVA POW's. We got the much needed Mule.

On Feb. 7th, there were 15 or 16 of us escorting the Mule back to the perimeter. We were on Hwy. Route 1, south of Danang. There was an M79'er and two other Marines in front of me. We were walking about 10 yards apart. I was the only machine gunner. There were only two ammo humpers that day as we were short on men due to the Tet Offensive which had started a week or so earlier. Usually there would have been 3 ammo humpers carrying extra M60 ammo.

We crossed a small bridge (about 60 to 70 ft. long). We were just entering a village going toward the old French fort. The point man was about 60 yards past the bridge. I with the M60 was in front of the Mule, about 40 yards back from the point man. I think the M79'er was second from the front. The Mule had just cleared the bridge when all of a sudden civilians on the road start running. Some one hollered, "ambush!" Then almost instantly a rocket or mortar hit the front of the Mule killing both guys on it. The 106 was pointing to the back left over the bridge where we had come from.

All hell broke loose. I saw one NVA throw a grenade at me. I was able to shoot him before the grenade went off. I took a lot of shrapnel in the face and chest. I guess it was his responsibility to take out the machine gunner. We jumped in the drainage ditch along side the road. It was about 4 ft. deep. They were shooting so much at us, I will never forget trying to look up for targets. The sand blasting off my face like a sand blaster from their rounds hitting the ground in front of me. The guys that were still alive were running out of ammo, as it turned out to be a full 3 company NVA ambush. Approximately 200 NVA against the few of us who had not been killed from the get go.

The M79'er had been wounded, and shortly ran out of M79's. There were guys dead on both sides of me. The one on my left was blown in half from a rocket or mortar. The M79'er came back through the ditch and jumped over me as I was shooting. Everyone else up front had been killed. He was taking the ammo off the dead Marines and giving it to me. (I guess about 30 minutes had lapsed since we had walked into the ambush.) I had seen 3 Marines run out to the 106 to try to turn and fire it. At the time I did not understand why as it was pointed back left of us. We were being hit from the village buildings in front of us. The Mule's left side tires were blown, and it was leaning to the left.

I later found out that there were 2 companies of NVA coming up behind us through a rice paddy. One company was in front of us. Two of the Marines had been shot and killed going for the 106, and the third was laying on Hwy. 1 screaming from bullet wounds. I think that he later died. They had been trying to get to the 106 to fire it at the advancing NVA behind us. It had a beehive round in the chamber. That definitely would have put a hurting on the NVA had it been fired.

There were just a few of us left. The M79'er had been wounded in several parts of his body and went unconscious. That left me alone with the next live man about 20-30 yards behind me, back by the bridge. I could not see the NVA behind us and was unaware of them being there. Luckily for me the sergeant who was closer to the bridge saw 2 of them about 10 yards behind me trying to come over the other side of the ditch and shot them both. I was firing at the main ambush in front of us trying to preserve ammo.

Like I said, it had been about 30 minutes before more Marines from our company started to get to us. Jeff Goss was a grunt with them. He ran across the bridge (under very heavy fire) and jumped in by the Marines. Then he saw me up front alone still shooting. He jumped up on the road and ran up to my location (again, under very heavy fire). I was bleeding bad, and my whole face was blood. As I remember, he laid out some cover fire while I crawled over the dead Marine to my right. We noticed the M79 man appeared to still be alive, so Jeff took my M60 as it was 22 lbs. and gave me his lighter M16. He took the Marine's right shoulder, and I took his left, and we drug him face down through the ditch to the safety of a cement building. Part of the old French fort. He lived, and we now talk regularly. At the time I had figured he had died, and only learned different a few years ago.

As more Marines advanced across the bridge, the NVA broke and ran. I was told the support Marines chased them for 2 days before they caught them and virtually wiped them all out.

Jeffrey Alan Goss, M Co. 3/5 I would like to give special thanks to L/Cpl. Jeffery Alan Goss USMC who was awarded the SILVER STAR for his actions that day, February 7th, 1968. L/Cpl. Goss was among the first to arrive as support for us. He ran across a bridge with no cover under very heavy enemy fire. Then he ran about forty yards up Hwy. 1 to get to my location. Again, under very heavy enemy fire. L/Cpl. Goss saved two of us that day, and no telling how many others. There is no doubt in my mind that had it not been for his brave actions and willing to self sacrifice, two more of us would have perished that day next to Hwy 1. L/Cpl. Goss perished from enemy small arms fire on May 24th, 1968 during Operation Allen Brook. He is on the Vietnam Wall-Panel 69E- Line 4. He shall never be forgotten!

LCpl. Jeffrey Alan Goss Memorial page

Frank and Barbara

Frank & Barb have 2 sons who are both USAF officers. Brent is a Captain and Craig is a Major and an MD. They have 3 grandsons. Jake, Ryan and Connor. Craig was sworn into the USAF by a USMC Major in honor of Frank's service in the USMC.

One of Frank's hunting trophies. This buck made the Florida Buck Registry and was taken with a 357 mag. revolver pistol in central Florida.

This is the whitetail deer Frank shot in Canada, November 2002. It's final score should be enough to make the Boone & Crockett record books. It weighed in right at 300 LBS.

Thank you for sharing your pics and memories, Frank. 
Welcome Home, Brother Marine!!~DR

3rd Battlion, 5th Marines Reunion May 2003
La Grange, Georgia

3/5 Marines and their Ladies

Col. Dean Esslinger, Col. Bill Rockey, Frank Ambrose

1. Sgt.Maj. Wright holding our 3/5 colors for M/3/5 Marines Bob Montgomery and Frank Ambrose
2. Charles Tate, Bob Montgomery, Frank Ambrose
3. Charles Tate, Frank Ambrose
4. Bob Montgomery, Chaplain Roger Richards, Frank Ambrose

1. Charles and Nancy Tate (Charles was the Marine criminal investigator for I Corps in Nam)
2. Bob and Nancy Montgomery
3. Frank and Barbara Ambrose
4. Nancy Tate, Nancy Montgomery, Barbara Ambrose

Mike 3/5 Website

(Background and Title by Redeye)