| Private First Class, E-3 – Medic |
| Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment – Attached to Bravo Company |
| Vietnam 1970 – 1971 |
| Born September 1, 1949 – Died May 6, 2002 |
Mark Mackie, 52, of Abington, a retired shipfitter at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard who was awarded two Bronze Stars for his service in Vietnam, died of leukemia Monday at Abington Memorial Hospital.
As an Army medic during the war, Mr. Mackie served for 13 months in a 23d Infantry Division battalion that saw some of the war's heaviest fighting. During a series of battles in 1970, he carried wounded men from the field and helped save their lives.
In April of that year, Mr. Mackie's battalion came under heavy attack. Mr. Mackie carried wounded soldiers from a field surrounded by booby traps. He managed to take three men to safety before tripping a wire that triggered an explosion of shrapnel. Several pieces lodged in both of his legs. Mr. Mackie was hospitalized in Vietnam and returned to the United States in January 1971. He was awarded numerous commendations for his service, including two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts, said Edward J. Lowery, executive director of the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center Inc., a nonprofit veterans assistance agency.
Mr. Mackie returned from the war and worked at several jobs before becoming a shipfitter at the Navy Yard, where he installed floors and decks on ships, and coworkers gave him the nickname, "Monk."
In the mid-1990s, Mr. Mackie was injured on the job and was forced to retire. He stayed home to take care of his 4-year-old son Kyle T., while his wife, Kathy A. White Mackie, went to work.
In 1998, Mr. Mackie was diagnosed with leukemia, beginning years of treatment that included chemotherapy and a bone-marrow transplant. After a period of remission, the cancer reappeared in February.
In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Mackie is survived by his mother, Margaret Downing Mackie; father William; and a brother.
A viewing will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. tomorrow and 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the William R. May Funeral Home, Easton Road and Keswick Avenue, Glenside. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial is at Hillside Cemetery in Roslyn.
Memorial donations may be made to the Abington Memorial Hospital Foundation c/o the Nurse Development Fund, 1200 Old York Rd., Abington, Pa. 19001.
Obituary was orignally pubished by The Philadelphia Inquirer on May 9, 2002.
