textlunnmichaelarlen1965.html

North High School Wall of Honor
Michael Arlen Lunn
Class of June, 1965

Research done by Claradell Shedd, Class of 1953.

Michael Arlen Lunn

Michael was a member of North High's class of June, 1965. At the time of his graduation, Michael's next of kin was Mrs. Teresa Lunn, 1334 Harding Road, Des Moines, Iowa. His service number was 2143721. His MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) was 0341, Mortarman.

PERSONAL DATA
Michael Arlen Lunn
US Marines
Home of Record: Des Moines, Iowa

Corporal
India Company, Third Battalion
Fifth Marine Regiment
US Marines
Weapons Platoon Photo (below)

Michael Arlen Lunn

Year	x	Rank/Event	x	Status

June, 1965	x	Graduation	x	North High School
date	x	Enlistment	x	Des Moines, IA
date	x	boot training	x	San Diego, CA
date	x	enroute	x	USS Pickaway (APA-222) (below)
date	x	enroute	x	USS Renville
	x	training	x	Okinawa, Japan, Philippines
July, 1966	x	combat	x	Vietnam. Operation Hastings. See Below.
date	x	Honorable Discharge	x	Discharged. Camp Lejuene, NC
Present	x	civilian	x	California

Our troop ship was the USS Pickaway (APA 222) We of Battalion Landing Team 3/5 were part of Task Force Delta, an amphibious assault group which served as a unit off the coast of Vietnam during June and July of 1966. Our landings resulted in three designated operations. Operation Deckhouse I which took place a bit south of Quang Ngai, the Operation Deckhouse II immediately below the demilitarized zone, which evolved into Operation Hastings, a pivotal engagement with the North Vietnamese Army as their attempts to infiltrate into South Vietnam were stopped cold. Below photo..Task Force Delta, July 1966. Top left ship, USS Alamo, an LSD, an AMTRAC assault ship. (Amphibious Tractors) Middle ship, USS Princeton (LPH-5) an vertical assault ship. (Helicopter assault). Bottom ship, USS Pickaway (APA-222) Amphibious Assault Ship. Our home.


(top) USS Alamo, USS Princeton, USS Pickaway	USS Renville (APA-227)


Operation Hastings	Michael Lunn

Operation Hastings was an American military operation in the Vietnam War. Having been threatened by numerous encounters with enemy troops in the Cam Lo area, on July 7, 1966, United States Marine Corps General Lew Walt led a joint U.S. Marine and ARVN force of 8,500 and 3,000 troops in a strike through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Plans to maintain U.S. occupation of the Cam Lo area in the Quang Tri province soon became known as Operation Hastings.
Under the command of Brigadier General Lowell E. English, the operation continued on July 15. His responsibility was to secure landing sites so that more U.S. Marines and ARVN soldiers could occupy the rear of the province. However, the major goal of the operation was to thwart the North Vietnamese 324 B Division's efforts to take control of Quang Tri Province. The mission was a strategic success in terms of driving off the 324 B Division, but the People's Army of Vietnam (NVA) forces successfully withdrew across the DMZ. When the ease with which the NVA was able to move across the DMZ became apparent, the US military leadership ordered a steady build-up of U.S. Marines near the DMZ from 1966 to 1968.
For platoon details of Operation Hastings by Joe Holt: http://www.securenet.net/3rdbn5th/india35/joe's_hill_362.htm


Operation Hastings; Dong Ha, Vietnam; 4th Marine Regiment.; July, 1966	Hastings Aftermath

" "	Michael Arlen Lunn Corporal India Company, Third Battalion Fifth Marine Division Presidential Unit Citation (left above); Mortarman Patch (middle); Marine Combat Action Ribbon (left below); Vietnam Campaign Medal; Vietnam Service Medal (two stars); National Defense Service Medal

References

(1) Information can be obtained from the Records on Military Personnel Who Died, were Missing in Action, or Prisoners of War as a result of the Vietnam War. This document can be found online at the National Archives and Records Administration at http://www.archives.gov/.

(2) Information can be obtained from the virtual wall that can be found online at http://www.virtualwall.org/.

(3) The comprehensive list of names from North High's 1893-2018 graduation classes are from Claradell Shedd's North Des Moines High School website. The names of North High School graduates can be found online at: http://www.ndmhs.com/. Michael Arlen Lunn's 1965 class page is: http://www.ndmhs.com/pages/yearclass1965(2015.50).html.

04/10/10: Resides in CA.

Music: "Ballad of the Green Beret"