By Terry Ouellette
Gilbert Thibeault, son of Lorenzo and Rita Thibeault, was born in St. Agatha on April 26, 1949 and resided with his family on Flat Mountain practically across the road from the Paul Guerrette Store. Unfortunately, their family home was destroyed by fire on March 30, 1963, and consequently the family moved to Bristol, Connecticut.
It was a big adjustment for Gilbert and his siblings, Cecil, Michael, Earl, Lester, Priscilla and Brenda. Gilbert graduated from Patterson High School in 1964 and three years later joined the U.S. Marines. From June to November in 1967, Gilbert completed his basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina, and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. On November 22, 1967, he was sent to DaNang with the First Reconnaissance Division.
While Gilbert was in Thua Thien Province, his cousin SGT E5 Percy Thibeault was stationed some 50 miles away in Chu Lai. The cousins never had a chance to meet because Gilbert was KIA on February 29, 1968. Percy found out about Gilbert’s death a few days later while reading the newspaper, Military Stars and Stripes. Percy’s tour of duty in Vietnam lasted from December 1966 to August 18, 1968. After his return home Percy always wanted to find out what had happened to his cousin Gilbert.
First Percy got the permission of Gilbert’s parents and later was authorized to follow the channels received from then U.S. Sen George J. Mitchell, D-Maine to collect information on PFC Thibeault. At one point Percy was able to speak to Gilbert’s fellow Marines who survived the attack and began his long search to find out what had happened to Gilbert. Gilbert served in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive which marked the peak of U.S. involvement in the war. It was during this time the Battle of Operation Houston, which involved numerous USMC battalions, had the objective “to secure Highway 1, particularly Hai Van Pass, and provide security for details working on the railroad between Hue and DaNang. During that time, the Allied Casualties were listed at 121 KIA and 848 WIA.”
On July 28, 1993, Percy received a letter from a fellow Marine Steven Cicalese explaining what had happened to Gilbert – “Frenchy.”
Steven wrote, “I served with 1st Force Recon but was detailed to 1st Battalion Recon for the petrol outside Hue City. Three teams were placed outside of Hue on hills to observe the enemy and to call in fire to impede their withdrawal from the battle of Hue during the Tet Offensive in 1968. I also believe that the other two teams pulled out early due to enemy probing and their precarious position. We stayed and I’m not sure why.
I’m not sure of the sequence of events in all activities. We dug in (holes) around the top edge of the hill, put out claymore mines and began observing. We saw some people in the valley and a water buffalo. On one night we were completely surrounded by lights, we either fired at them or called in fire and the lights went out.
We could hear and see the fighting in Hue from our position, we observed air strikes to our right. It was exciting to see those jets come in so low. When at night we heard probing at our parameter, we would throw hand grenades, theorizing that firing our weapons would draw fire to us.
The second day the enemy tried to set up a machine gun overlooking our position on a nearby hill, but we spotted them and Wikel raced across the parameter and with a 60-caliber machine forced them to abandon that attempt and killed at least one of the enemy gunners.
On the third say we watched the South Vietnamese push the NVA towards our position and readied ourselves to cut them down as they crossed the river that separated our hill from Hue. But the fighting stopped at about 4:30 p.m., probably for dinner. Just another missed opportunity among millions that occurred during the war …. I guess.
Anyway, that night it was dark, in fact all nights were so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. We heard the sound of incoming mortars. I had dived for my hole and the shell exploding stunned me for a second or more. I had been hit in the head and shoulder, very minor wounds. I seem to remember just before the blast (s), Sgt. Leed on the radio in the middle of the parameter, but after the blast I didn’t see him again. Heard he had been hit by a sniper in the chest. Wikel told me Frenchy had been hit (Gilbert Thibeault had been hit). Apparently the mortar shell that had wounded me had landed where Frenchy’s hole was, maybe in the same hole. I crawled out of my hole which was next to Frenchy’s, wrapped some gauze around my head wound and went towards Frenchy’s hole.
About that time another mortar came in, but it bounced off Wikel’s back/flak jacket a dud. Wikel began to give Frenchy mouth to mouth resuscitation, but I took over when it became too difficult for John Wikel. John tossed grenades out into the black at every sound. Later on, he told me he burned out the barrel of his machine gun, but I don’t remember that. I may have missed a lot because I was working on Frenchy. At some point during the evening, it was determined that Frenchy was dead. I distributed what we had left in ammunition, and we waited.
I remember quiet periods as the time passed that night, smoking a cigarette and being asked to pray. I also remember vividly red-hot metal searing through the black night only a few feet off the ground. I suppose the reason we got out alive was because our position was well known, and a wall of friendly fire was placed around us.”
Over time Percy has been able to share his findings with Gilbert’s parents and some of his siblings who live in Bristol, Connecticut. Thank you to Gilbert, who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, to Percy for keeping steadfast in researching his cousin’s story and serving in the Marines during the Vietnam conflict.
Note: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. stands as a symbol of America’s honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War. Inscribed on the black granite walls are the names of more than 58,000 men and women who gave their lives or remain missing. Yet the Memorial itself is dedicated to honor the “courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty and country” of all who answered the call to serve during the longest war in U.S. history. PFC Gilbert Thibeault’s can be found on 42E Line 10.
Remember March 29th is National Vietnam War Veteran’s Day – Act of Congress 2017.
