I know from experience as an Officer in Vietnam, that the award of medals is often very capricious.  Many incredible acts of heroism go unrewarded, simply because there were not enough witnesses to verify the event. Others never get requested, simply because the junior officer did not know they could get such recognition for their troops.  I was guilty of that during the early part of my tour.  I was so busy trying to learn how to keep my people alive, that I just did not take the time to think about such things. My officer education did not include significant training on the value and process of recognizing soldiers through the use of awards and decorations.  We spent much more time on tactics and military discipline.  Perhaps a review should be made of the relative time spent on this equally important subject.

Those of us who were there know...all you unsung heroes will be heroes in our hearts forever!

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Homer R. Steedly Jr.    (Email:  )       More stories coming soon...Check back often.    Copyrighted ...  10/31/2007.         Site Map