Thomas R. Boyden was born on February 10, 1949. His home of record is Bloomfield, NJ.
He enlisted in the US Marine Corps and attained the rank of Private First Class (PFC). While in Vietnam, he served with the Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, L Company, “Lima.”
Boyden was killed in action on December 16, 1967. He is buried at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Montclair, NJ. There is an honorary street sign in front of the apartment where he grew up on Morse Avenue in Bloomfield. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, United States Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Military Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Rifle Expert.
Tom was born and raised in Bloomfield, NJ. He attended Essex Catholic High School and transferred to Bloomfield High School. Growing up, he was like most young boys. He liked to play baseball in the local park and basketball at the school playground his friends. During his early teen years, he developed a love for music. He started taking saxophone lessons and spent much of his spare time practicing and playing songs.
When he was about 16, he and three of his neighborhood buddies formed a singing group and they would perform at some teen dances. He was always caring about the other person rather than himself. In the face of adversity, Tom never let anything get him down. He had such a good outlook on life and a great sense of humor. His faith was strong and he had a great belief in God. We are sure it was these traits that led him to serve his country.
The summer of 1966, Tom lived in Seaside Heights and worked on the boardwalk at Seaside Park. Upon returning home from the shore, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He entered Marine Boot Camp in Parris Island, SC and graduated in late March 1967. Our family attended his graduation and we were able to spend that weekend with him. We were all extremely proud of him. It was a very special time for all of us and one we will always remember.
From Boot Camp, he was deployed in August 1967 to Vietnam. On the night of December 16, 1967, Tom was hit in a friendly fire accident when an errant mortar was fired nearby where Tom’s Company was encamped in tents. He was killed instantly when hit by shrapnel. Two other Marines also died in this incident and 35 were wounded. This happened in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam on the outskirts of Da Nang.
Of course our family knew of the danger anyone faces when they are in combat in a war zone, but we always held out faith that Tom would be safe. It was so tragic for us when we learned that he was gone. Tom had always given us so much happiness throughout his life. We will never forget his bravery and willingness to help others. In his letters from Vietnam he never complained or let on to us how much danger he was facing. He felt he was doing the right thing for his country and was proud to be a United States Marine. Although we miss him terribly, we can console ourselves with the fact that he was doing what he wanted to do. Our entire family will forever be proud of Tom’s sacrifice to his country.
-Written by the Boyden Family
Source: NJVVMF, VVMF.
12/17/2024
