THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. We should be forever thankful for the sacrifices of you and so many others to ensure the freedoms we so often take for granted.

Dear Sp4 Jerrold Vesey, Thank you for your service as a Medical NCO. Thank you for the lives you saved. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart . Autumn has begun. Time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it still needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Specialist Fourth Class Jerrold Louis Vesey, United States Army, for gallantry in action while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force, while serving with the Air Cavalry Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, in the Republic of Vietnam. Specialist Fourth Class Vesey distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 25 August 1970 while serving as an aid man on a search and destroy mission. Specialist Vesey was assigned to the Aero Rifle Platoon of the Air Cavalry Troop when it suddenly began to receive heavy automatic weapons fire from approximately fifteen North Vietnamese soldiers. Immediately, he ran forward through the blistering hail of enemy fire to provide medical attention for the wounded. As he proceeded to administer first aid he was mortally wounded. Specialist Fourth Class Vesey's gallantry in action was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

On the morning of August 25, 1970, intelligence reports indicated that the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment's 3rd Squadron's command post located at FSB Bandit in Binh Duong Province, RVN, was to be hit by a Viet Cong (VC) mortar attack that night. An operations plan was formulated to send an Aero Rifle Platoon (ARP) with a tank platoon (five M48A2 Patton tanks) to arrive simultaneously at the enemy location and conduct a raid to disrupt the planned mortar attack. The tank platoon encountered a heavier than usual amount of thick jungle, and it was delayed by at least 30 minutes to the objective. The ARP arrived on time, and as such, was not yet supported by the tanks. Since the element of surprise had been lost, and the ARP had probably been observed by the VC upon landing, the Platoon leader ordered a movement into the objective area. After about 15 minutes of patrolling, the point element was suddenly raked by machine gun and small arms fire from a well-entrenched VC force. The squad leader on point was hit twice, in the elbow and collarbone, and went down. A platoon leader down the line, SGT John D. Malcolm, ran up to the point of contact but was hit by numerous bullets in the abdomen. SP4 Robert E. Koonce, in front of the wounded squad leader, braved intense enemy fire to crawl to him. While attempting to render aid, he was hit by a single round to the forehead and died instantly. The point squad’s medic, SP4 Jerrold L. Vesey, also suffered a fatal head wound. At the approach of the five Patton tanks, the enemy broke contact, leaving two of its dead behind. Two of the tanks knocked down foliage creating a landing zone for medivac aircraft. The wounded and dead were evacuated to the 93rd Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh. Malcom, still alive when placed on the evacuation helicopter, expired during the flight. A reconnaissance of the area the next day by another unit discovered numerous fresh graves in the area, an indicator of the damage inflicted on the enemy. Malcolm, Koonce, and Vesey were posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and information provided by Douglas Haywood (August 2019)]

I graduated from Gunn High School in 1967, with Jerry Vesey. We were teammates in water polo and competition swimming. He joined the US Army, and I attended local college. Jerry died in Vietnam, August 1970. In 1972, I was sent to Yankee Station, off the coast of North Vietnam. I made it home. Jerry is buried across the street from Gunn High School. RIP brother.