Highest rank: Colonel
Awards and decorations: Bronze Star Medal, 2 Air Medals, Distinguished Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, National Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Vietnam Service Medal (2 campaigns), Vietnam Campaign Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation with Oak Leaf Cluster, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Army Service Ribbons: 2 Overseas Service Ribbons, JCS Identification Badge, Airborne Badge and Ranger Tab.
Most memorable military experience: I was fortunate to serve in RVN in 1966 - 1967 before the war became unpopular. For me these were the most rewarding duties I ever undertook for my country. I am proud of what the US Army did there, and what the USA tried to do there, as well as of my contributions, small as they were. While in Vietnam I spent a lot of time in Army fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. The troops under my control were deployed across a third of South Vietnam. While flying around a combat zone, we occasionally got shot at and had the bullet holes in the aircraft to show for it. PTL that none of us were ever killed flying in any of the large fleet of aircraft assigned to our battalion during my time in Vietnam. The worst we ever got shot up happened one night just after sunset as we let down into the airfield at Nha Trang. It was Tet and ARVN (Army of Vietnam) was out in force, shooting randomly into the night sky until we showed up in a slowly descending fixed wing airplane. Our Army Beaver got air conditioned that night with lots of bullet holes. |
