Veterans Day Honor For Dan Bullock the youngest soldier to die in the Vietnam War

The Beginning

Dan Bullock was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and lived there until the age of 11. This is when his mother died and he along with his younger sister, Gloria, moved to Brooklyn, New York to live with their father and stepmother. Some reports say that it was his grandmother's death that caused him to move to New York. His goal was to become a police officer, a pilot, or a U.S. Marine. Due to racial discrimination African American soldiers often did not receive the same honor as their white comrades.

Paris Island

When he was only 14 years old, he changed the date on his birth certificate to indicate that he was born on December 21, 1949. He went through the process of the recruiting station, and on September 18, 1968 enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was a member of Platoon 3039 at Parris Island which is impressive for a 14 year old. There have been older recruits over the decades who nicknamed this location the "hell hole" because it was difficult. Bullock initially struggled but with the help of one of his fellow recruits, he was able to complete his assignment and graduated from boot camp on December 10, 1968.

Vietnam

Private First Class Bullock arrived in South Vietnam on May 18, 1969. He was assigned as a rifleman in 2nd Squad, 2nd Platoon, Company F, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was stationed in Quảng Nam Province at An Hoa Combat Base, west of Hội An. Less than 3 weeks later on June 7, 1969, tragedy struck. Bullock had been assigned to cleaning duty that night, but was transferred to the night watch because of a Marine who was wounded on night duty. Some might say it was just his time to go while others would say he was the sacrificial lamb for the wounded soldier.

Whether it was destiny or coincidence the young soldier lost his life that night. Bullock and 3 other Marines were in a bunker near the base airstrip when they were attacked by a People's Army of Vietnam sapper. The unit threw a satchel charge into the bunker and all four Marines were killed. Dan Bullock was only 15 years old making him the youngest veteran to lose his life. A veteran's marker was finally provided for his grave.

In the above video Douglas MacArthur shares how Bullock was not able to complete the runs that were required in bootcamp. Because of his failure the entire platoon was punished. According to MacArthur, some of the white southern platoon members wanted to give Dan a "Blanket Party". This was a method of punishing the Marine who was not up to par and encouraging him to do better. During a blanket party something heavy like a bar of soap might be placed in a sock and the offending party would be struck with it over and over again. MacArthur says he intervened and prevented Bullock from being abused.

The Secret

According to another comrade, Steve Piscitelli, Bullock was quiet and kept to himself. This caused others in the platoon to dislike him even when he had not done anything. In hindsight Piscitelli realized Dan was hiding the secret of his age. While he enlisted at 14 the average age of the soldiers was 18 or 19. Bullock was a child who was holding his own with grown men and for that he is to be commended.

Honoring Dan Bullock

Marine Corps League, Brooklyn #1, Detachment 217 usually holds an anual color guard memorial ceremony on Lee Avenue each June honoring Pfc. Bullock. On June 7, 2003, a section of Lee Avenue in Brooklyn, was renamed in Bullock's honor. This is where he had lived since age 11. In 2019, a North Carolina state historical marker was erected near his childhood home in Goldsboro NC to honor his brief but historic life.

Avenue in Brooklyn, where Bullock had lived since age 11, was renamed in his honor. In 2019, a North Carolina state historical marker honoring his life was erected near his childhood home in Goldsboro NC. Marine Corps League, Brooklyn #1, Detachment 217 usually holds a color guard memorial ceremony each June on Lee Avenue honoring Pfc. Bullock. On this and every Veterans Day please remember Dan Bullock, the African American teen who was the youngest Vietnam soldier to give his life for his country.