This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Michael D. Withers (Mike), OSCS
to remember
Rodriquez, Samuel Henri (Sam), HN.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Wendell
Last Address Wendell, ID
Casualty Date May 19, 1968
Cause KIA-Died of Wounds
Reason Artillery, Rocket, Mortar
Location Quang Nam (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Wendell Cemetery - Wendell, Idaho
NEC HN-8404-Medical Field Service Technician/FMF Combat Corpsman
Base, Station or City Not Specified
State/Country Not Specified
Patch
Naval Hospital Portsmouth, VA Details
Redesignated NMC Portsmouth
As the U. S. Navy's oldest, continuously-operating hospital since 1830, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) proudly serves past and present military members and their families. The nationally acclaimed, state-of-the-art medical center, including its nine branch clinics located throughout the Hampton Roads area, additionally offers premier research and teaching programs designed to prepare new doctors, nurses and hospital corpsmen for future roles in healing and wellness. NMCP is a patient-driven TRICARE facility entrusted with the health readiness of the United States armed forces.
Geographically located in the southeastern corner of the Commonwealth of Virginia, on historic Hospital Point in Portsmouth, Virginia, the main campus of NMCP is home to more than 5,000 men and women who provide healthcare services to the brave men and women of all our armed forces, their family members, and military retirees which is a daunting task accomplished with great skill and competency by the "First and Finest."
Hampton Roads generally includes the cities of Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Suffolk, and is populated with more than 1.5 million people. The region is homeport to the majority of the ships, aircraft, and Department of the Navy Sailors and Marines assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. Naval Medical Center Portsmouth is one of many regional commands that constitute the largest military concentration in the world.
Other Memories Ted, I knew Sam very well.I was in boot camp, Company 733 at Great lakes, IL December 1966 to April 1967. We then attended Hospital Corps School at Great Lakes from April 1967 to July 1967. After boot camp Sam did not have enough money to fly home to Wendell, Id so some of the guys in the company pitched in and helped him buy his ticket home.Our entire Hospital Corp Company was shipped off to Camp Le Jejune, NC to attend Field Medicall Service School (B school) where we were give the NEC code 8404. This marked us for a sure deployment with the Fleet Marine Force in Viet Nam. Sam and I both were sent to the same duty station at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Va. I arrived at the hospital about 10 days after Sam, again he did not go back to Wendell due to cost of flights. I ended up working on the same ward with Sam. Ward 3-B was a urology ward. During this time at Portsmouth we met another corpsman that had a car. On one of our long weekends we traveled to my home town of Pennington Gap, Va to visit my parents. All of the corpsman stayed at the hospital for about 9-10 months before they got orders to Viet Nam. Since Sam arrived at Portsmouth earlier than me he received his orders to 1st Marine Division.The last I remember of Sam was when Mervin Box (of California) took him over to Langley Air Force base to catch a military hop to Idaho. As we stood in the terminal Sam realized that he was not able to take a blanket on the flight, perhaps due to space. He gave me the blanket and I promised him I would keep the blanket and give it back to him. As I promised I did take the blanket not to him but to his mother in Wendell in the summer of 1972. My nephew and I was traveling across the country and we visited his family in Wendell.Very emotional time with the family. I went to Viet Nam in April 1968 and was with Delta Company, 1st BN, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Divison.Some time in June of 1968 I saw my first Stars and Stripes newspaper. For some reason I looked in the KIA section to learn of him death on May 19, 1968. Here are some questions about your wed site. 1. Was his NEC 8427, I did not realize he was a recon corpsman and if so when did he go to that school? He left Portsmouth in March-April. 2. I will look for some pictures and see if I can send you some. I called his mother Elizabeth two years ago. I did not realize his parents were still alive. I spoke with both of his parents. I did a google for his brother David and got that phone number. Elizabeth ansered the phone and I asked for David not knowing she was still alive. As I began telling her who I was she realized who I was and it was great talking to them. 815-584-1669 Home 815-228-1366 Cell William R. Provence dba Randy Provence
