Quoting the Commander-In-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, “We (the VFW) as leaders in the veterans community must remind all Americans how important it is to remember. All Americans, especially young Americans, must understand that freedom is not free and we owe our liberty to those who gave their all. Sacrifice is meaningless without remembrance.”

The late summer of 1967 was not a good summer for two Mississippi families as two top Marine officers from the Magnolia State lost their lives while flying out of the Marine Air Base in Chu Lai. The pilots -- while separate and apart -- left fascinating stories of honor and devotion to the Corps and its mission for the war effort in the Republic of South Vietnam.

When I arrived in Chu Lai the following year I was completely oblivious of the fate of my neighbors and fellow Marines from Mississippi. I grew up in Jasper County. The families of Charles Wallace and Glenn Jacks lived across the county line in Jones County. When I joined the Marines and was assigned to the fixed wing aviation field (jets) there’s no way I could have fully appreciated the trailblazers like Wallace and Jacks who had gone before me.

A brief description of their losses is as follows: Charles Franklin Wallace lost his life on August 28, 1967. His A-4E Skyhawk was shot down two miles north of the Demilitarized Zone. While on a bombing run his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft artillery. Major Wallace was from Ellisville. Glenn Gates Jacks was killed on October 19, 1967. His F-4B Phantom suffered an engine failure as it was taking off on a strike mission. Jacks and his Radar Intercept Officer, 1Lt. Fred E. MacGeary, lost their lives in the crash. Major Jacks was from Laurel.

Majors Wallace and Jacks each had 16 years of Marine Corps service but their deaths resulted from a misfortune taking place in only a matter of seconds. Wallace, determined to get his bombs on target over enemy territory; and Jacks, intent on getting his massive, bomb-laden plane off the ground. How quickly triumph turns into tragedy. And shortly thereafter begin the notifications -- the phone calls, the letters and more questions from the families. Specifically, would Wallace’s remains ever be returned? Would the exact cause of Jacks’ double engine flameout ever be known? Mixed with grief and despair, these are not pretty pictures for the families back home.

As a proud Mississippian I can’t help but honor these men with the highest respect and dignity for their service to our county. Wallace and Jacks joins hundreds of other Mississippians whose names are inscribed on the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. and the Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Ocean Springs. Their names are also on the Jones County War Memorial in Laurel. A memorial marker for Major Wallace is in place at his parents’ gravesite at the Ellisville Cemetery. His name is also inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. Major Jacks was buried at the National Cemetery in Natchez.

Of the thousands of fatal accidents involving jet aircraft in the war in Southeast Asia, who would have ever thought that these two servicemen, connected by a county line, would remain so relatable and on my mind 42 years later on this Memorial Day, 2009. I offer my sincere thanks to these Marine pilots who gave their lives in the service and protection of our great country.

Semper Fidelis,

Van K. “Mac” McCarty

Jacks, Glenn Gates, Maj