Floyd Brown didn't know Merlin Hollenbach before Vietnam.

Brown grew up in Lehighton. Hollenbach lived in Andreas but worked in Lehighton as a mechanic at Scotty's Fashions.Brown was in Vietnam for some time before Hollenbach arrived. They eventually ended up in the same Army infantry division and became friends.Brown came home safely. Hollenbach didn't.On a Friday morning, Dec. 22, 1967, only three days before Christmas, their unit began moving out for patrols in Binh Duong, South Vietnam.Brown remembers it well, even the exact time. It was 7:03 a.m."We got ambushed," Brown said.Brown, who was a forward observer, escaped unscathed.Hollenbach, a medic, was only about 30 feet away when the heavy gunfire erupted. Merlin Charles Hollenbach, just 21, was one of 14 American soldiers killed in that onslaught.His death came merely one month into his Vietnam tour.This week, Hollenbach was remembered during a small gathering at the Lehighton Legion when it was announced his name was being added to a Vietnam memorial in front of the Legion Post.Lost soldiersPresently the names of four Lehighton-area soldiers who lost their lives in Vietnam are etched in the gray stone memorial.Hollenbach's will be added as soon as possible.His widow, Irene Fritzinger, and numerous other relatives attended the announcement, which was made by Dale Nansteel, president of the Vietnam Last Man's Club.Hollenbach's name is already etched on a gold plate of a list of Vietnam veterans inside the Legion Post.The other names on the monument are:• PFC Clyde Houser Jr., an infantryman who served with the 50th Infantry, 1st field force, U.S. Army.• Leon D. Eckhart, an infantryman with the 4th Infantry Division, U.S. Army. He was killed by hostile fire.• Charles R. Jones, who served in Vietnam for four months. He was an Infantryman and served with the 50th Infantry, 1st Field Force, U.S. Army.• Lance Corp. Ronald Christman, a U.S. Marine serving in Vietnam with the helicopter unit. After two months, Ronald became a casualty in a helicopter lost due to hostile action.Houser, Jones, and Christman were all Lehighton High School graduates. Eckhart graduated from Palmerton High School. Hollenbach was a graduate of Tamaqua High School.Also present for the announcement Monday were Hollenbach's siblings, Ethel Weaver and Robert Hollenbach, both of Andreas; a nephew, Jeff Weaver; great-nephew, Chad Weaver; great-niece, Paul Bonser, and stepgranddaughter, Emma Bonser.Enemy fireRecalling the deadly assault in Vietnam, Brown said he didn't see his friend get hit by enemy fire; "I just saw him laying there." He died instantly.Afterward, the commander of the company was relieved of his command for leading his men into the massacre.Hollenbach was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Hollenbach.He and the former Irene Erbe were married on May 20, 1967. Two days later, May 22, 1967, he left for the service.He had started his Vietnam tour on his birthday, Nov. 21. The cause of death was listed as "gun or small-arms fire."For Brown, it wasn't his only close brush with death in Vietnam. He saw a lot of action.On March 21, 1967, Brown survived what was considered one of the war's greatest victories.It happened near the deserted village of Suoi Tre, near the Cambodian border.Brown's unit had 450 men. They held off 2,500 Viet Cong for four hours until additional units arrived.A total of 50 Americans were killed and 187 were wounded. On the enemy side, there were 647 Viet Cong killed.Brown said despite all the action he saw, his only wound was a cut finger. He sliced it on a piece of bamboo.