Born on August 26, 1949, in Manning, Canada, Geoffrey was the son of Alex Lukey of Deadwood, Alberta, and Pearl Lukey of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He enlisted in the US Marine Corps on May 17, 1968, in Butte, MT. He arrived in Vietnam on January 15, 1968, and was assigned to Company H, BLT (Battalion Landing Team) 2/26, 9th MAB FMFPAC. On April 4, he was reassigned to 3d CAG III MAF and upon completing training, he joined CACO 3-1, CAP 3-1-3 near Phu Bai in Thua Tien Province.

CAPs (Combined Action Platoon) were units where Marines would live, train, and patrol with local Vietnamese PFs (Popular Forces) in their villages and who were little more than armed civilians. A squad of Marines would be assigned to villages that had a high enemy presence, to instill the fighting spirit in the local PFs so they can protect their families and fellow citizens against their enemy, the Viet Cong and NVA.

On October 6, the CAP platoon was on patrol in the vicinity of the Phu Bai village complex when LCpl Lukey attempted to rescue a fellow Marine that had slipped and fallen into a washed-out portion of the stream. In doing so, he slipped and was swept into the Song Phu river by the fast flowing current. Rescue attempts were made unsuccessfully, and he drowned.

On October 9, Vietnamese fishermen recovered LCpl Lukey's body that was floating downstream just east of Highway 1 near the Phu Bai (4) hamlet market. His remains were returned to CAP 3-1-3.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com