Special Tribute

Stanley Mensing

 

Photo by Mike Kukuk

 

Tribute by Pat Christensen

This is the only photo that I know of of Stanley Mensing, KIA on August 12, 1969. Stan was driving the M 48 TC'd by SSgt Godwin where we all encountered about 200 NVA outside of Quan Loi base camp in the middle of the night.

Stan was driving one of 2 big boys which was a ready reaction force for some tracks that staked out a spot on the hardball road leading toward Quan Loi, which was supposed to get a ground attack. There were 2 "blocking forces" that were posted waiting for these enemy forces. We got the radio call that the "other" segment of A Troop was coming under attack. We broke our perimeter and reacted to their location a couple of miles away. We drove into a firefight and Stan's M-48 was one of 2 that was immediately RPG'd. Stan was killed instantly, and the tank set on fire.
My track, A19 was the last of the column responding into this mess. It was a night unforgetable. SSgt. Lawrence Nolan was in the original group staked out which was initially attacked by the NVA.

The point of this is that here in the photo section is a guy we all liked that didn't get to come home with us.