Full Name: Anderson, Clayton Ezekiel
Home Town: BOISE, IDAHO
Service Rank: Staff Sergeant 1st class
Serial Number: RA 3865661

On his third tour in Nam. Served his first Tour Of Vietnam in the 1st Cavalry. His second, was with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. He is 4 months into his third is with the 196th Infantry Brigade.

Medals/Citations:
National Defence Service Medal: awarded to all who serve in the active US Military, for longer than 90 days during wartime.

Good Conduct Medal - with one Oak Leaf cluster: This was awarded one per enlistment, for a military record without any disciplinary problems on your record.

Combat Infantry Badge: You got this for serving in an Infantry Military Occupation Specialty, (MOS) in a hostile fire zone, in contact with the enemy for 30 days, or if you were killed or wounded while doing so, no matter how short the period was. It could only be earned by enlisted men, company grade and field officers. This is a jealously guarded award. Only the Medal of Honour and a few others awards rank higher in the "Army Culture".

Distinguished Service Cross: "for extraordinary gallantry in the face of supreme enemy firepower".

Silver Star: for Gallantry and Heroism in Ground Combat for action on December 9, 1967 in the Binh Khe Valley".

2 x Bronze Star: "for heroism in connection with ground operations against hostile forces in the Republic of Vietnam".

Vietnam Gallantry Cross: This was awarded to all US Armed Forces personnel who served for a minimum of thirty days, either in Vietnam, or in units in direct support of Vietnam operations. The actual length of tour depended on which service you were in. Army personnel served 365 days. The thirty days requirement was waived if you were killed or wounded during this period.

For each six months you served overseas in wartime, you received one Overseas Service Bar. This was a cloth device worn on the lower right sleeve of the Army Green Dress uniform, only.

Vietnam Service Medal - with two Oak leaf clusters, denoting subsequent awards received.

Purple Heart: “for wounds sustained in action”.

Wounded: So many times its hard to count. Shot in lower right leg once , also received light flesh wound (shot) to upper left arm, knocked unconscious as a result of a mortar explosion. Again Shot in lower right leg once this guy is so tough he even says: " I didn’t even know I was shot until I was in the Chopper".

Notes: Zeke's father was a club boxer with a glass jaw.
* His father ran out and left Zeke’s mother when she was pregnant.
* His mother could not look after him so he gave him to the State, he says home was the Boys Department of Welfare. He was mainly raised by Nuns.
* His mother died a couple of years after giving him up in a car wreck.
* Although Zeke never met his father he did trace him to Elizabeth , New Jersey where he spent a day watching him with his new wife and children.
* Zeke was married to Carole, they had one daughter called Katie (referred to once as Katrina).