Sgt.Randall Partin Chu Lai Artillary: "I stumbled across your web site chronicling Operation Starlite in August 1965. I was a Corporal with the 1st Platoon, 1st 8 inch Howitzer Battery. We were two 8 inch self propelled howitzers detached from our main unit and sent to Chu Lai in late May 1965. The rest of the Battery was deployed to Da Nang. We had mounted out from Camp Sukuran, Okinawa in early May. Our Commanding Officer was Captain Wolfington (sp). We set up as part of the perimeter defense on the South West side of what was to become the airstrip. I was unaware of the size and scope of the Operation, all I knew was that in mid August we began to fire in support of an operation to the South of our position. I was in the FDC during the beginning stages of the fight. It began as a not unusual request for fire support. But as the day wore on the radio traffic, which was clearly audible to everyone in the FDC tent became more and more urgent. We seemed to bracket one target and began to firing for effect when a another and then another mission came in. You could tell by the voices of the Forward Observer that the missions were getting more and more critical. You could sense the urgency in the tone of their voice. I don't know how many rounds we fired during the operation, after a while it all became a blur of one mission after another, one hour after another, one day after another. We all realized that there were Marines in need of our help. That was the mission we had all trained for; to give support to those ground pounders and help tilt the battle their way. In war you never know what's going on around you or how important your role in the overall success of a operation is. Its only years later that you read about the battle and the men who fought in it. I was proud to serve in the Marine Corp, was proud to give support to those grunts who do the real fighting and hope this bit of information will help in your history." Randall Partin contributed this recollection.