WALLATE FRED THIBODEAU

Wallate Fred Thibodeau died in the service of his country while serving in
1st Bde Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol and K/75 Rangers, 4th Infantry Division

Last name: Thibodeau
First name: Wallate Fred
Home of Record (official): Kingston
State (official): NJ
Date of Birth: March 8, 1943
Marital Status: Single

Branch: Army
Rank: E-6
Component: Infantry
MOS (Military Occupational Specialty code): 11F40
Major Organization: 4th Infantry Division
Unit of assignment: 1st Bde Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol and K/75 Ranger

Entered Service:
Start of Tour: November 27, 1968
Date of Casualty: July 19, 1969
Age at time of loss: 26
Casualty type: Hostile, died
Reason: Gun, small arms fire, ground
Country: South, Vietnam
Province: Binh Dinh

Vietnam Memorial Wall: Panel 20W, Row 23

Ranger Memorial Stone: Section B, Column 18

To the family that has had to bear the loss of Buddy, we offer our heart felt thanks for your standing so strong. Many that enjoy real freedom have been affected by the great contribution he gave towards our freedom. He is still dearly loved and missed, even to this day.
Lord, those who knew Buddy are so thankful you allowed them to be graced by his being among them. We his brothers of like spirit, a spirit that says all people, of all nations, should enjoy the right to live free and to choose for themselves, do also thank you. He stands out to us and the world as a symbol of the price of freedom. Your Word says; "no greater love hath a man than this, to give his life for a freind" Buddy did just that! He forsook self preservation for others to live. He acted out of love, a love that required no contemplation but rather action. Surely it never crossed his mind at the moment that he would come to be known as a "HERO". We thank you for men and women like our brother that thought it not too much to give his life for others to live. Lord, this day give comfort to those loved ones that have been all these years without him. Help them to know he is at rest with you and Warriors of like kind. May we never forget our freedoms were bought by the blood of others. Lord, regarless of our belief, help us as we remember him and the many like him to consider the following words of wisdom; to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength and secondly to love our neighbor as ourself. Truly acceptance and application of this wisdom by all people of the world, is to see war and all other atrocities against humanity end! May our hearts be charged to honor the sacrafices of such men and women with a continuous and sincere effort to promote peace on earth and good will towards all.

Wallate Fred Thibodeau the name given to him by his parents, but eventually he would be nicked named Buddy by family and friends. Buddy became the most often used when referring to him. However, he was to get another nick name from his buddies in Vietnam, Ratman. Why this Name? Because Buddy was often called on to search out tunnels the enemy dug, and the only way to check them was to send someone in, and Buddy was the man. In some cases he had to literally crawl on his stomach, other times he hunched over, and there were times he could nearly stand upright. Regardless, it was an unnerving job and very dangerous. The name Ratman was used among the men more often than not. It was not to demean him but rather to give him a name that would indentify him, as one with great courage. It was special, a name of great honor, and one of prestige. Ratman to his peers and his superior represented one with great courage, bravery, a willingness to go the extra step, responsive to met any and all challenges, a leader that lead by example, one that had no I'isms, a true "WARRIOR" dedicated to the service of his country, at all cost. Ratman became a legend among his fellow rangers and beyond. Speak the name of Ratman at a reunion and his memory is recalled by many. When thought of by veterans it is with great reverence. Family and friends mostly called him Buddy,a special person who thought it not wrong to put others before himself, able to love others and always ready to listen or help. He had a serious side and a playful one. He was an unselfish man and people lite up when they saw him coming. Still today, his memory can cause deep emotional feeling.
For Buddy to have survived the time he did was a miracle in itself. He was with one of the most dangerous units in Vietnam. The unit was first called the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol which ran patrols deep into enemy held territory gathering information, information that could only be obtained by the use of 3-4 man teams. This information was used by higher command to better plan operations against the enemy. God only knows how many soldiers and indigenous peoples life were saved by the actions of such teams. Life expectance for men running these patrols was slim to none. The unit he started with continued to evolve and in February 1969 they were renamed K company 75th Rangers.
Through out his four year tour he had been on many patrols, reaping much valuable intelligence,and often the enemy never knew the team had been there. Missions included prisoner snatching, combat patrol for specific targets, targets of opportunity and Reconnaissance patrols. He was considered one the best and was due to get a combat commission just before his death. The guys would rag on him and say, I am not going to salute you. It of course was all done in fun, because it would have been an honor to salute a man that came up through the ranks. The day came however for Buddy to leave us and we will never understand why such good people die so young. We will have to trust God on it. The area they were patrolling was heavily infested with soldiers of the North Vietnamese Regular Army. It was just short of a miracle anyone survived. Buddy and Dennis Belonger did not survive. When it was over two were dead and others wounded. The unit had lost a couple of Hero's, Ratman and Dennis, but you know, neither would have considered themselves a Hero, but they are and they remain in our hearts. If your reading this and know any of the family, please let them know we are always with them in the rememberance of "BUDDY to some and RATMAN to others".

Bob Smyers

His Mother Writes -
Thank you for being my son's friends and for remembering him as I do after all these years. As Buddy's Dad used to say to us all of the time. "There are men ... and there are men among men." You are those men. I am so very proud that my son kept such great company.
(His Mom said she thinks this is what Buddy 'Ratman' would say to you all if he could: "When you think of me, do not think of me with tears. Think of me with laughter and love for each other, or do not think of me at all.")

His Sister Writes -
Thank you for this wonderful place. I have been in it several times, just in the last 2 days. Emmett Mulroney of Haweye 1 Alpha, gave me the information so that I could find it and now I just can't seem to stay away from it. I have several articles from different newspapers out of Viet Nam you might be interested in. One article by Benny Perez, says that Rat had been in Viet Nam since July 28, 1964, which is when I kind of thought he went over there as an advisor?
At that time, however, he was attached to the 52nd Security Detachment as an infantry machine gunner. It mentions that he was at Camp Holloway and had to go on a sweep made to Pla Ma Naiu, they came across a tunnel in which Buddy was sent to investigate. Another one is Feb 2, 1968 where Lt Breeman Baker, Camp Holloway Security Force Commander, Thibodeau and 2 squads were sent out to the Rice Paddys to look for the enemy who had that morning had them under mortar attack. What they found were three mortar positions that 'Charlie' had used to hit Camp Holloway that a.m. These positions were on the outskirts of Plei Monu Village located about one and a half miles from Camp Holloway. It goes on to tell of how Thibodeau had to enter a tunnel without his Lucky Chicken Feather, and the exchange that went on between him and his friends there at the tunnel. It was a very funny story, but then again, Buddy 'Rat' was a very funny guy.
I have a couple of more recent clippings, one, out of Camp Radcliff, about the Hawkeye team with Thibodeau, PFC Dennis Belonger, PFC Robert Thomas and an unnamed montagnard team member. Written by PFC Chuck Colgan. This one is pretty funny too, except I imagine it was also pretty scary as it was happening. It is a time when their team ran into about 15 enemy soldiers carrying rucksacks and AK47s, the Hawkeye team just happened to have some detainees with them to worry about AND the dilemma as to how to get out of there safely. The team did get out of there safely only after they had confused the enemy. Thibodeau had Belonger stay in a nearby structure, they had come across, with the detainees while Thibodeau, who had a whistle, started running and blowing it. The other men were running around yelling like crazy, zigzagging and firing into the tall elephant grass. They say the team never got any closer than 40 meters of the enemy force, as the enemy was really moving out in all directions. Thomas didn't even think the enemy got off more than a few rounds at them. Thomas captured one and led him back to the structure, Thibodeau dashed back in to report the action to headquarters and Bolonger decided it was his turn to run out and join in on the fight. When he got out there the Montagnard was still running around firing into the tall grass, so Bolonger joined in with his M79. The article says that every so often one of the enemies heads would pop up out of that tall grass as if they were trying to locate one another.
The last article I have is from the Ivy Leaf, Famous Fourth, Camp Enari. Firebase Blackhawk dated 2/23/69 by Sp5 Robert G. Frechette. The name of the article is 'Hide and Seek VC Lose in Bad Game'. This one isn't funny at all. It reads, the Famous 4th Division 1st Brigade Long Range Patrol team was instrumental in the death of two V.C. during a harrowing game of "hide and seek" Private First Class Norvert Yan of Palau Island, Thibodeau, Emmett Mulroney of St Paris, Ohio, Specialist 4 George Pender of Beaverton, Ore, and Private First Class Randy McBride of Hayward, Calif were engaged in a lot of pretty hairy stuff with the bad guys, which later, after the reinforcing element from Co. C, 1st Battalion 8th Infantry arrived they uncovered several huts and two small grain caches. It was a successful mission the article said.
If you would like, I have no way of sending these via e-mail, but I could retype the full articles and send them to you. Thank you Emmett and Larry for telling me about this site, and Ron for making it available. I have tried to find those of you that I've known of for years. I have always been proud of my brother and have always wanted to connect with his friends. I was able to get to know Al Kidd not long after you all sent Buddy home to us. Back then I was THE spoiled brat teenage sister. But he was still my idol and even then I looked up to him. From the pictures and things I would like to tell you all, Thank you for caring so much that even after 30 years you still remember him like I do. Thank you and WELCOME HOME.
Sincerely,

Renee Thibodeau

Rat (nicknamed for being a Tunnel Rat) was a very courageous and a heroic soldier as well as a good person. He served 4 tours of duty in South Vietnam. He was in line for a field commission, to be a Second Lieutenant. He said he would still go on missions even after he was to be promoted, I use to tease him and tell him that I would not salute him after he got promoted, but I would like to "Salute" him now. He was well liked by his fellow LRRPs and the Top Brass. My regret is that I could not save his life on our last mission, but the memory of him will live on forever with me and with his fellow LRRPs. Farewell my friend

Emmett Mulroney