JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii –
“No man left behind” is more than just a phrase for Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Kenneth FuQua. It represents a profound commitment: to uphold the nation's promise to provide the fullest possible accounting for U.S. missing personnel to their families and the nation.
For FuQua, an explosive ordnance disposal technician with 3rd Littoral Logistics Battalion, 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, the decision to volunteer as a short-term individual augmentee with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency was deeply personal. The mission resonated with his family's history and his own ingrained sense of duty.
FuQua, a native of La Verne, Calif., and a third-generation Marine, deliberately sought this assignment in Vietnam because of his family's connection to the war.
“I had four family members who served during the Vietnam War,” FuQua explains. “Most notably, my paternal grandfather fought there in the sixties with 1st Battalion, 9th Marines.”
That legacy, coupled with a lifelong bond to the Marine Corps, has profoundly shaped FuQua's identity. He was raised in a family where the cadence of military life echoed through their home, and the Eagle, Globe and Anchor adorned nearly every surface. Service wasn’t just honored; it was a way of life.
“My entire life has revolved around the Marine Corps,” he said. “When my dad was deployed during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, I spent my formative years with my Marine grandparents while my mom worked. I adored everything about my grandfather and the ‘espirit de corps’ he radiated.”
FuQua was inspired by the service of his father, Kenneth FuQua Jr., who was a Corporal in the Marine Corps, and his grandparents, Gunnery Sgt. Ronald E. Stevenson and Chief Warrant Officer Wilma Stevenson. From an early age, FuQua knew he wanted to wear the same uniform that had defined generations before him.
“From the moment I could speak, I told everyone I was going to be a Marine,” FuQua shared. “As sure as the sun rises and sets, there was never a doubt that I wouldn't accomplish it.”
Just months after graduating from high school, FuQua faced the loss of his grandfather. Before saying goodbye, he made a promise, honoring the man who had helped shape the very foundation of who he is.
“My grandfather passed away in August of 2007, just a few months after I graduated high school,” FuQua said. “I promised him that even if I still wanted to serve, I would pursue college first, so I did. A promise to a man who shaped my morals and character was not one I could ever fathom breaking.”
Fueled by determination and a heartfelt promise, FuQua graduated from college and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2012 at 23 years old.
“Four years later, a degree in hand, I enlisted,” he said.
FuQua then attended his Military Occupational School training.
“From there, I attended Field Artillery School as a fire direction controlman,” explained FuQua. “While I was good at my job, it wasn’t enough. I needed to help people and challenge my mind more.”
Driven by a desire for greater purpose and intellectual stimulation, FuQua transitioned to become an explosive ordnance disposal technician.
“In July of 2015, I was screened for an opportunity to attend the explosive ordnance disposal technician school. I graduated in December of 2016, and the rest is history.”
For FuQua, the DPAA mission in Vietnam carried a personal weight that extended beyond its professional significance. It also rekindled a deeply rooted passion that had been dormant since his youth: poetry.
“Poetry has been a dormant hobby since high school,” FuQua said. “My brother was an avid poet and would ask me to proofread his work, and I loved reading them. It wasn’t until college that I began writing poetry regularly. When I enlisted, I didn’t write another piece… until this mission.”
Standing on the same soil where his grandfather and uncles served, the emotional gravity of the work reignited his creative voice.
“Inspiration struck and I started writing,” he said.
After years of dormancy, FuQua once again lifted his pen and began to write. Inspired by his grandfathers' and uncles’ dedication and sacrifices, FuQua’s words capture the enduring memory of those who served.
The Silent Return
Beneath the sky where foreign winds once blew,
They stood their ground, the brave, the true.
Their voices stilled, their battles done.
Now shadows resting beneath the sun.
A solemn charge, a sacred flight,
Through endless day and quiet night,
We bear them home, with steady care,
Their weight of honor fills the air.
No trumpet blares, no banners wave,
For those who gave what freedom craves.
Yet in each fold, each tender lift,
A nation’s soul, a heartfelt gift.
The soil they loved awaits their peace,
A journey’s end, a soft release.
To bring them back, where roots entwine,
Is duty’s grace, a task divine.
Across ocean vast and fields of green,
We guard their silence, pure, serene.
For every soul we gently lay,
Is homeward bound, to stay, to stay.
Written by K. V. FuQa
While the mission is filled with physically demanding labor – long days under the sun, screening thick clay, and working through roots that seem to be made of iron – in the hope of finding fallen personnel, FuQua remains undeterred.
“The dead care not for the limitations of the living,” he reflects. “My aches and pains mean nothing if it means bringing them home. I will move as much dirt every minute of every day until they are found.”
Despite the harsh conditions, FuQua finds the experience eye-opening, humbling and profoundly rewarding.
“It’s been incredibly challenging,” he admits. “I had no aspirations that this was going to be easy, but every single time I have any kind of challenges, or I get fatigued, I remember why I’m here and it gives me a new burst of energy to continue on.”
For FuQua, this mission is more than a professional assignment; it's a deeply personal and spiritual one. It's about bringing closure to families still waiting, honoring those who paid the ultimate price, and connecting with a landscape steeped in the history of sacrifice – a history that resonates deeply with both his family and the nation.
“This has been the most fulfilling part of my career,” he says. “Most of the time during peacetime or limited conflict, throughout the world, we fall into a garrison mindset. This is a reminder of what it’s like to break my back for a cause.”
And his advice for others considering joining the DPAA missions:
“Don’t think of this as a way to get away from your shop. Think of it as a means to remember why you joined the military in the first place and to build a better connection with those who paid that ultimate price.”
With a deep-rooted sense of duty and pride, FuQua continues to live up to the ethos passed down by generations of Marines and service members in his family. His work in Vietnam is a powerful testament to the enduring bonds of family, service, and sacrifice.
For service members like Gunnery Sgt. Kenneth FuQua, bringing a fallen warrior home isn't just a mission; it's a calling.