Thomas was the son of Doris J. Johnson of Elkton MD and Thomas V. Ruff of Lakeland FL, and he enlisted in the US Marine Corps on January 24 1966 in Philadelphia PA. In Vietnam he was assigned to and serving with Company D, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 3d MARDIV (Rein) FMF.
During the first part of May the Battalion was participating on Operation PARIRIE 1V in Quang Tri Province and the CP (Command Post) was at Con Tien in Gio Linh District. At 0245 hours on the morning of May 8, the perimeter at Con Tien came under a coordinated attack by the NVA. First a barrage of mortar fire hit the Marine defenders followed by a large scale ground assault. The attack lasted well into the morning until the enemy were repelled, losses were heavy for the defenders with forty-six men killed in action and many more wounded. PFC Ruff was one of the casualties, he was killed in action from hostile rifle fire.
Casualties - Killed in Action
H&S Company, 4th Marines - 6
Company A, 4th Marines - 17
Company D
Edward Vincent Asip
Kenneth Varsall Avery
John Henry Boudreau
Leon Lawrence Cornwell
Leroy Elliot
Abel D Garcia Jr.
Larry Floyd Jankowski
Cecil Raymond Jenkins
Denny Lee Johnson
Jesus Mario Limones
Robert Lyn Margolis
Gary Francis Mc Cue
Calvin Alan Parks
Thomas Valentine Ruff
Leo Joseph Sullivan
Ralph H Watington Jr.
Vomer Ovid Wilson
Donald Williams
Company A, 3d Tank Battalion
James Leroy Lester
Company B, 1st Amtrac Battalion
David Luhver Cleveland
Larry Milton Langan
HQ Battery, 12th Marines
Jimmy Edward Page
Battery D, 12th Marines
John Carl Kopacska
During the first part of May the Battalion was participating on Operation PARIRIE 1V in Quang Tri Province and the CP (Command Post) was at Con Tien in Gio Linh District. At 0245 hours on the morning of May 8, the perimeter at Con Tien came under a coordinated attack by the NVA. First a barrage of mortar fire hit the Marine defenders followed by a large scale ground assault. The attack lasted well into the morning until the enemy were repelled, losses were heavy for the defenders with forty-six men killed in action and many more wounded. PFC Ruff was one of the casualties, he was killed in action from hostile rifle fire.
Casualties - Killed in Action
H&S Company, 4th Marines - 6
Company A, 4th Marines - 17
Company D
Edward Vincent Asip
Kenneth Varsall Avery
John Henry Boudreau
Leon Lawrence Cornwell
Leroy Elliot
Abel D Garcia Jr.
Larry Floyd Jankowski
Cecil Raymond Jenkins
Denny Lee Johnson
Jesus Mario Limones
Robert Lyn Margolis
Gary Francis Mc Cue
Calvin Alan Parks
Thomas Valentine Ruff
Leo Joseph Sullivan
Ralph H Watington Jr.
Vomer Ovid Wilson
Donald Williams
Company A, 3d Tank Battalion
James Leroy Lester
Company B, 1st Amtrac Battalion
David Luhver Cleveland
Larry Milton Langan
HQ Battery, 12th Marines
Jimmy Edward Page
Battery D, 12th Marines
John Carl Kopacska
Thomas was the son of Doris J. Johnson of Elkton MD and Thomas V. Ruff of Lakeland FL, and he enlisted in the US Marine Corps on January 24 1966 in Philadelphia PA. In Vietnam he was assigned to and serving with Company D, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 3d MARDIV (Rein) FMF.
During the first part of May the Battalion was participating on Operation PARIRIE 1V in Quang Tri Province and the CP (Command Post) was at Con Tien in Gio Linh District. At 0245 hours on the morning of May 8, the perimeter at Con Tien came under a coordinated attack by the NVA. First a barrage of mortar fire hit the Marine defenders followed by a large scale ground assault. The attack lasted well into the morning until the enemy were repelled, losses were heavy for the defenders with forty-six men killed in action and many more wounded. PFC Ruff was one of the casualties, he was killed in action from hostile rifle fire.
Casualties - Killed in Action
H&S Company, 4th Marines - 6
Company A, 4th Marines - 17
Company D
Edward Vincent Asip
Kenneth Varsall Avery
John Henry Boudreau
Leon Lawrence Cornwell
Leroy Elliot
Abel D Garcia Jr.
Larry Floyd Jankowski
Cecil Raymond Jenkins
Denny Lee Johnson
Jesus Mario Limones
Robert Lyn Margolis
Gary Francis Mc Cue
Calvin Alan Parks
Thomas Valentine Ruff
Leo Joseph Sullivan
Ralph H Watington Jr.
Vomer Ovid Wilson
Donald Williams
Company A, 3d Tank Battalion
James Leroy Lester
Company B, 1st Amtrac Battalion
David Luhver Cleveland
Larry Milton Langan
HQ Battery, 12th Marines
Jimmy Edward Page
Battery D, 12th Marines
John Carl Kopacska
During the first part of May the Battalion was participating on Operation PARIRIE 1V in Quang Tri Province and the CP (Command Post) was at Con Tien in Gio Linh District. At 0245 hours on the morning of May 8, the perimeter at Con Tien came under a coordinated attack by the NVA. First a barrage of mortar fire hit the Marine defenders followed by a large scale ground assault. The attack lasted well into the morning until the enemy were repelled, losses were heavy for the defenders with forty-six men killed in action and many more wounded. PFC Ruff was one of the casualties, he was killed in action from hostile rifle fire.
Casualties - Killed in Action
H&S Company, 4th Marines - 6
Company A, 4th Marines - 17
Company D
Edward Vincent Asip
Kenneth Varsall Avery
John Henry Boudreau
Leon Lawrence Cornwell
Leroy Elliot
Abel D Garcia Jr.
Larry Floyd Jankowski
Cecil Raymond Jenkins
Denny Lee Johnson
Jesus Mario Limones
Robert Lyn Margolis
Gary Francis Mc Cue
Calvin Alan Parks
Thomas Valentine Ruff
Leo Joseph Sullivan
Ralph H Watington Jr.
Vomer Ovid Wilson
Donald Williams
Company A, 3d Tank Battalion
James Leroy Lester
Company B, 1st Amtrac Battalion
David Luhver Cleveland
Larry Milton Langan
HQ Battery, 12th Marines
Jimmy Edward Page
Battery D, 12th Marines
John Carl Kopacska
