Service important to Vietnam veteran
Trending
HOWLAND -- Service has been a hallmark of Timothy Fonderlin's life.
Whether it was in 1964 when the 17-year-old Warren G. Harding High School senior signed a volunteer contract to join the U.S. Marine Corps, or a later-in-life decision by Fonderlin and his wife, Diane, to be among the earliest volunteers in the then newly formed Trumbull County chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
A Warren native, Fonderlin, now 75, one of three children, decided to join the military in the middle of his senior year because he believed he would be drafted as soon as he graduated. Fonderlin wanted to have a choice in how he would serve.
His father, Harold, had served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He also had two uncles who served in the U.S. Army.
"I decided to join the Marines because I heard its boot camp was the most challenging," Fonderlin said. "I was an athlete, so I thought I could handle it."
He did.
Fonderlin was trained as an infantryman. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. The unit went on a MedCruise, which allowed them to do a series of landings, departures and other combat training over a six-month period.
After returning to the U.S., Fonderlin's unit was told about what was occurring in Vietnam, so, naturally, Fonderlin volunteered to be sent there -- again, doing what he could to take control of his future, instead of waiting for an assignment.
Landing in Da Nang, Vietnam, in June 1966, the U.S. Marine found the heat oppressive, with waves of heat that could be seen rising from the Marine base tarmac into the air.
Fonderlin was assigned to Delta Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion at the Chu Lai Base, in Vietnam.
"I was surprised because we felt the First Recon was the best of the best," he said. "I didn't know I was up to it."
Shortly afterwards, Fonderlin, who arrived in country as a lance corporal, was promoted to corporal. The unit was trained to replace one of the first reconnaissance units in the area.
Fonderlin received a Bronze Star for an action that occurred Dec. 14, 1966, while his unit was supporting Operation Sierra, near Nai Nhan, Vietnam. His platoon decided to set up camp for the night. The command post was set up in the center near the top of a hill with two units, including Fonderlin's unit set up in a semi-circle on either side of the command post.
He set up a listening post in a shallow dug fox hole approximately 15 to 20 yards from his unit. There was only brush and a few small trees hiding his location.
During Fonderlin's turn to listen for any suspicious activities, he heard a slight sound in front of him. But, due to the darkness making it difficult to see, Fonderlin was not sure what it was.
A few seconds later, Fonderlin saw shadowy figures to both his left and right sides.
Claymore mines had been set up by the unit, but Fonderlin was concerned the enemy may have turned them around to face his unit, so Fonderlin decided not to set them off.
Fonderlin fired his M-14 rifle to both sides, enabling him to retreat a few yards and then throw two grenades to the area where he saw the movement. Almost immediately after he threw his grenades, two chicom grenades landed in front of the hole he had been in and exploded.
"Luckily they seem to blow more up than out," Fonderlin wrote in a report describing the incident. "I was still hit by some scrap metal from the explosive devices."
Fonderlin moved back to his squad's position ordering them to throw grenades and fire their rifles. He moved to multiple positions, directing their fire. The fire fight lasted 20 to 25 minutes.
"Three of my squad members, including myself, were wounded," he said. "I rotated these Marines back to to our command post to be patched up by our medics."
Fonderlin described another fire fight that occurred in 1967 in which his small reconnaissance unit had been on patrol to observe where the enemy was located. The unit came under fire.
During a momentary lull in the fighting, a helicopter was sent in to pick up the the Marines. As most of the members of his unit loaded onto the helicopter, Fonderlin and another soldier were carrying rifles that had been dropped on the ground when the helicopter began to lift off the ground.
The two soldiers were flipped backward off the loading platform onto the ground.
"We knew what would happen once the helicopter was in the air," Fonderlin said. "They would call in the location and the area would be strafed by our artillery to clear it."
They yelled up to the chopper to come back for them.
Later, Fonderlin learned his best friend, Joseph Barnes, rushed to the cockpit of the helicopter demanding the pilot return to the site to pick up the two Marines that had fallen off during takeoff.
The pilot was hesitant to return to the area due to them being under heavy fire, but Barnes pulled out his pistol, pointed it at the pilot's head and demanded he return to pick up the Marines or he would shoot him. The helicopter returned to pick them up.
Barnes later was killed in an explosion while they were still in Vietnam.
Fonderlin described extending his time in service by six months, so he could take a scuba diving course. As a trained scuba diver, Fonderlin went on more than 40 missions during those six months to determine if bombs had been placed on bridges set to explode with Americans and their allies on them.
After returning to the states, Fonderlin got a job at Packard Electric, where he met his future wife. He retired from Packard Electric in 1999, after 30 years with the company.
He is active in various veteran organizations. Due to their work with Habitat, he and his wife have traveled the world providing service to others.
Timothy Lee
Fonderlin
AGE: 75
RESIDENCE Howland
SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. Marine Corps
MILITARY HONORS: National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal with device, Vietnam Service Medal with three stars, Purple Heart Medal with one star, Good Conduct Medal, Bronze Star w/V and a marksman certification in the rifle qualification badge. He was trained in Marine Rifle Squad, Marine Non-Commissioned Officer Course, map and aerial photograph reading and scuba diving.
OCCUPATION: Retired from Packard Electric
FAMILY: Wife, Diane Fonderlin; a son, Shane; and two sisters, Dieanne Frost and Louanne Dubos