VIETNAM WAR
MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS
(X-Z)
*N.B. An asterisk in the
citation indicates that the award was given posthumously.
*YABES, MAXIMO
Rank and organization: First
Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry,
25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Phu Hoa Dong,
Republic of Vietnam, 26 February 1967. Entered service at:
Eugene, Oreg. Born: 29 January 1932, Lodi, Calif. Citation: For
conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Sgt. Yabes distinguished
himself with Company A, which was providing security for a land
clearing operation. Early in the morning the company suddenly
came under intense automatic weapons and mortar fire followed by
a battalion sized assault from 3 sides. Penetrating the
defensive perimeter the enemy advanced on the company command
post bunker. The command post received increasingly heavy fire
and was in danger of being overwhelmed. When several enemy
grenades landed within the command post, 1st Sgt. Yabes shouted
a warning and used his body as a shield to protect others in the
bunker. Although painfully wounded by numerous grenade
fragments, and despite the vicious enemy fire on the bunker, he
remained there to provide covering fire and enable the others in
the command group to relocate. When the command group had
reached a new position, 1st Sgt. Yabes moved through a withering
hail of enemy fire to another bunker 50 meters away. There he
secured a grenade launcher from a fallen comrade and fired point
blank into the attacking Viet Cong stopping further penetration
of the perimeter. Noting 2 wounded men helpless in the fire
swept area, he moved them to a safer position where they could
be given medical treatment. He resumed his accurate and
effective fire killing several enemy soldiers and forcing others
to withdraw from the vicinity of the command post. As the battle
continued, he observed an enemy machinegun within the perimeter
which threatened the whole position. On his own, he dashed
across the exposed area, assaulted the machinegun, killed the
crew, destroyed the weapon, and fell mortally wounded. 1st Sgt.
Yabes' valiant and selfless actions saved the lives of many of
his fellow soldiers and inspired his comrades to effectively
repel the enemy assault. His indomitable fighting spirit,
extraordinary courage and intrepidity at the cost of his life
are in the highest military traditions and reflect great credit
upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
*YANO, RODNEY J. T.
Rank and organization: Sergeant First
Class, U.S. Army, Air Cavalry Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry
Regiment. Place and date: Near Bien Hao, Republic of Vietnam, 1
January 1969. Entered service at: Honolulu, Hawaii. Born: 13
December 1943, Kealakekua Kona, Hawaii. Citation: Sfc. Yano
distinguished himself while serving with the Air Cavalry Troop.
Sfc. Yano was performing the duties of crew chief aboard the
troop's command-and-control helicopter during action against
enemy forces entrenched in dense jungle. From an exposed
position in the face of intense small arms and antiaircraft fire
he delivered suppressive fire upon the enemy forces and marked
their positions with smoke and white phosphorous grenades, thus
enabling his troop commander to direct accurate and effective
artillery fire against the hostile emplacements. A grenade,
exploding prematurely, covered him with burning phosphorous, and
left him severely wounded. Flaming fragments within the
helicopter caused supplies and ammunition to detonate. Dense
white smoke filled the aircraft, obscuring the pilot's vision
and causing him to lose control. Although having the use of only
1 arm and being partially blinded by the initial explosion, Sfc.
Yano completely disregarded his welfare and began hurling
blazing ammunition from the helicopter. In so doing he inflicted
additional wounds upon himself, yet he persisted until the
danger was past. Sfc. Yano's indomitable courage and profound
concern for his comrades averted loss of life and additional
injury to the rest of the crew. By his conspicuous gallantry at
the cost of his life, in the highest traditions of the military
service, Sfc. Yano has reflected great credit on himself, his
unit, and the U.S. Army.
*YNTEMA, GORDON DOUGLAS
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S.
Army, Company D, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). Place and
date: Near Thong Binh, Republic of Vietnam, 16-18 January 1968.
Entered service at: Detroit, Mich. Born: 26 June 1945, Bethesda,
Md. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in
action at the risk of his life and above and beyond the call of
duty. Sgt. Yntema, U.S. Army, distinguished himself while
assigned to Detachment A-431, Company D. As part of a larger
force of civilian irregulars from Camp Cai Cai, he accompanied 2
platoons to a blocking position east of the village of Thong
Binh, where they became heavily engaged in a small-arms fire
fight with the Viet Cong. Assuming control of the force when the
Vietnamese commander was seriously wounded, he advanced his
troops to within 50 meters of the enemy bunkers. After a fierce
30 minute fire fight, the enemy forced Sgt. Yntema to withdraw
his men to a trench in order to afford them protection and still
perform their assigned blocking mission. Under cover of
machinegun fire, approximately 1 company of Viet Cong maneuvered
into a position which pinned down the friendly platoons from 3
sides. A dwindling ammunition supply, coupled with a Viet Cong
mortar barrage which inflicted heavy losses on the exposed
friendly troops, caused many of the irregulars to withdraw.
Seriously wounded and ordered to withdraw himself, Sgt. Yntema
refused to leave his fallen comrades. Under withering small arms
and machinegun fire, he carried the wounded Vietnamese commander
and a mortally wounded American Special Forces advisor to a
small gully 50 meters away in order to shield them from the
enemy fire. Sgt. Yntema then continued to repulse the attacking
Viet Cong attempting to overrun his position until, out of
ammunition and surrounded, he was offered the opportunity to
surrender. Refusing, Sgt. Yntema stood his ground, using his
rifle as a club to fight the approximately 15 Viet Cong
attempting his capture. His resistance was so fierce that the
Viet Cong were forced to shoot in order to overcome him. Sgt.
Yntema's personal bravery in the face of insurmountable odds and
supreme self-sacrifice were in keeping with the highest
traditions of the military service and reflect the utmost credit
upon himself, the 1st Special Forces, and the U.S. Army.
YOUNG, GERALD O.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S.
Air Force, 37th ARS Da Nang AFB, Republic of Vietnam. Place and
date: Khesanh, 9 November 1967. Entered service at: Colorado
Springs, Colo. Born: 9 May 1930, Chicago, Ill. Citation: For
conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Young distinguished
himself while serving as a helicopter rescue crew commander.
Capt. Young was flying escort for another helicopter attempting
the night rescue of an Army ground reconnaissance team in
imminent danger of death or capture. Previous attempts had
resulted in the loss of 2 helicopters to hostile ground fire.
The endangered team was positioned on the side of a steep slope
which required unusual airmanship on the part of Capt. Young to
effect pickup. Heavy automatic weapons fire from the surrounding
enemy severely damaged 1 rescue helicopter, but it was able to
extract 3 of the team. The commander of this aircraft
recommended to Capt. Young that further rescue attempts be
abandoned because it was not possible to suppress the
concentrated fire from enemy automatic weapons. With full
knowledge of the danger involved, and the fact that supporting
helicopter gunships were low on fuel and ordnance, Capt. Young
hovered under intense fire until the remaining survivors were
aboard. As he maneuvered the aircraft for takeoff, the enemy
appeared at point-blank range and raked the aircraft with
automatic weapons fire. The aircraft crashed, inverted, and
burst into flames. Capt. Young escaped through a window of the
burning aircraft. Disregarding serious burns, Capt. Young aided
one of the wounded men and attempted to lead the hostile forces
away from his position. Later, despite intense pain from his
burns, he declined to accept rescue because he had observed
hostile forces setting up automatic weapons positions to entrap
any rescue aircraft. For more than 17 hours he evaded the enemy
until rescue aircraft could be brought into the area. Through
his extraordinary heroism, aggressiveness, and concern for his
fellow man, Capt. Young reflected the highest credit upon
himself, the U.S. Air Force, and the Armed Forces of his
country.
*YOUNG, MARVIN R.
Rank and organization: Staff
Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, (Mechanized), 5th
Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Ben Cui,
Republic of Vietnam, 21 August 1968. Entered service at: Odessa,
Tex. Born: 11 May 1947, Alpine, Tex. Citation: For conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Young distinguished
himself at the cost of his life while serving as a squad leader
with Company C. While conducting a reconnaissance mission in the
vicinity of Ben Cui, Company C was suddenly engaged by an
estimated regimental-size force of the North Vietnamese Army.
During the initial volley of fire the point element of the 1st
Platoon was pinned down, sustaining several casualties, and the
acting platoon leader was killed. S/Sgt. Young unhesitatingly
assumed command of the platoon and immediately began to organize
and deploy his men into a defensive position in order to repel
the attacking force. As a human wave attack advanced on S/Sgt.
Young's platoon, he moved from position to position, encouraging
and directing fire on the hostile insurgents while exposing
himself to the hail of enemy bullets. After receiving orders to
withdraw to a better defensive position, he remained behind to
provide covering fire for the withdrawal. Observing that a small
element of the point squad was unable to extract itself from its
position, and completely disregarding his personal safety,
S/Sgt. Young began moving toward their position, firing as he
maneuvered. When halfway to their position he sustained a
critical head injury, yet he continued his mission and ordered
the element to withdraw. Remaining with the squad as it fought
its way to the rear, he was twice seriously wounded in the arm
and leg. Although his leg was badly shattered, S/Sgt. Young
refused assistance that would have slowed the retreat of his
comrades, and he ordered them to continue their withdrawal while
he provided protective covering fire. With indomitable courage
and heroic self-sacrifice, he continued his self-assigned
mission until the enemy force engulfed his position. By his
gallantry at the cost of his life are in the highest traditions
of the military service, S/Sgt. Young has reflected great credit
upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
ZABITOSKY, FRED WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Sergeant First
Class (then S/Sgt.), U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group
(Airborne). Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 19 February
1968. Entered service at: Trenton, N.J. Born: 27 October 1942,
Trenton, N.J. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and
intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond
the call of duty. Sfc. Zabitosky, U.S. Army, distinguished
himself while serving as an assistant team leader of a 9-man
Special Forces long-range reconnaissance patrol. Sfc.
Zabitosky's patrol was operating deep within enemy-controlled
territory when they were attacked by a numerically superior
North Vietnamese Army unit. Sfc. Zabitosky rallied his team
members, deployed them into defensive positions, and, exposing
himself to concentrated enemy automatic weapons fire, directed
their return fire. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sfc.
Zabitosky ordered his patrol to move to a landing zone for
helicopter extraction while he covered their withdrawal with
rifle fire and grenades. Rejoining the patrol under increasing
enemy pressure, he positioned each man in a tight perimeter
defense and continually moved from man to man, encouraging them
and controlling their defensive fire. Mainly due to his example,
the outnumbered patrol maintained its precarious position until
the arrival of tactical air support and a helicopter extraction
team. As the rescue helicopters arrived, the determined North
Vietnamese pressed their attack. Sfc. Zabitosky repeatedly
exposed himself to their fire to adjust suppressive helicopter
gunship fire around the landing zone. After boarding 1 of the
rescue helicopters, he positioned himself in the door delivering
fire on the enemy as the ship took off. The helicopter was
engulfed in a hail of bullets and Sfc. Zabitosky was thrown from
the craft as it spun out of control and crashed. Recovering
consciousness, he ignored his extremely painful injuries and
moved to the flaming wreckage. Heedless of the danger of
exploding ordnance and fuel, he pulled the severely wounded
pilot from the searing blaze and made repeated attempts to
rescue his patrol members but was driven back by the intense
heat. Despite his serious burns and crushed ribs, he carried and
dragged the unconscious pilot through a curtain of enemy fire to
within 10 feet of a hovering rescue helicopter before
collapsing. Sfc. Zabitosky's extraordinary heroism and devotion
to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the
military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his
unit, and the U.S. Army.
A-B
C-D E-F
G-H I-J
K-L M-N
O-P Q-R
S-T U-W
X-Z
|
