Lt. Joe Devine, to the far right, was with Delta Company as line platoon leader, mortar platoon leader and later XO. He was an excellent officer who was, and still is, highly respected by those who served with him. According to Dale Courtney, his RTO, "Joe was a great soldier and I am proud to have had the opportunity to serve with him. He knew his stuff and he taught me a lot to help me keep myself alive as well as others."

Joe, who passed away last year, went back to Vietnam for a second tour as an advisor. Also in the photo are:

Dale Courtney, Lt. Devine's RTO (radio operator). The relationship between officers and their RTOs was special. Any time they were in the field and on the move they were seldom more than a few feet from each other because the communications link was crucial. That radio also identified the RTO as a prime target for VC gunners. During the Battle of Ong Thanh nearly every RTO in the Black Lion force was killed or seriously wounded. According to former Delta Company commander Jerry Grosso, Dale was an outstanding soldier who became the platoon sergeant and also filled in as platoon leader as needed.

Tom McLellan, another proud Delta Warrior, identified himself in the far left of the photo (see comments below).

Paul Marshall, platoon sergeant, is behind Dale. Paul also passed away last year.



I don't know who to credit for this photo, since it was one that was shared with a large group of people. Obviously, I didn't take it, since I originally identified the officer as CPT Gerry Grosso (see comments below). Although I didn't know them at the time, I am proud to have served with each and every one of them.