Kern W. Dunagan
Encyclopedia
Kern W. Dunagan was a United States Army
officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor
—for his actions in the Vietnam War
.
, and by May 13, 1969 was serving as a captain in Company A, 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment
, Americal Division
. During a firefight starting on May 13 and finally ending on May 14, 1969 in Quang Tin Province, Republic of Vietnam
, Dunagan showed conspicuous leadership as he organized his men and rescued wounded soldiers despite his own serious wounds.
Dunagan was wounded on two occasions during this ferocious battle. Still, with his company of soldiers, they successfully fought off wave after wave from a battalion of Viet Cong Regulars in near, hand-to-hand combat conditions. Dunagan was 1st wounded in the early evening of May 13 during a mortar attack. He refused to be evacuated and thus, separated from his men.
Throughout the ensuing night of May 13 and morning of the 14th, the attack was unrelenting and Dunagan was again seriously wounded for a 2nd time. Again, he refused to be evacuated. In the end, after losing many of his men during those two days, Dunagan was finally able to maneuver his men by way of a plan struck in the final hours of daylight of May 14, 1969.
Dunagan and the base commander, Colonel Underhill, of LZ Professional, decided to have the base artillery units attempt to throw up as much smoke - in as many ways they could muster - to conceal Dunagan and his men as they made their final attempt to escape an extremely aggressive enemy. Had the plan not worked, it was considered doubtful that Dunagan and the men of Company A would have survived.
The U.S. base's barrage of incendiary, artillery rounds seemed to make the difference as Dunagan and his remaining troops were afforded a blanket of smoke in which to make their way across a wet, soggy, open field. Under constant fire, attempting to reach the perimeter of LZ Professional, there was no guarantees the plan would work.
Eventually, most of the surviving men made their way back. Yet, not all was secured, as the battalion of N. Vietnamese Army was aggressively following the men of Company A. After Dunagan insisted on going back into the inferno to look for surviving soldiers, he finally located one wounded soldier. Placing the soldier on his shoulders, Dunagan busted his way back to the perimeter of LZ Professional. Once there the base commander, Colonel Underhill, ordered a massive bombing of the North Vietnamese position.
Captain Dunagan spent the next weeks of May and June, 1969, in Tokyo, Japan. After surgeries to repair his wounds and recuperation, he was sent stateside to resume his career. In 1985, a skin cancer, melanoma, was found in a mole on Dunagan's neck. The cancer would eventually metastasize in his inner organs and in 1991, Dunagan passed away.
Dunagan was subsequently promoted to major
and awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.
Dunagan reached the rank of colonel
before leaving the Army. He died at age 57 of cancer and was buried in San Francisco National Cemetery
, San Francisco, California
.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
—for his actions in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Biography
Dunagan joined the Army from Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and by May 13, 1969 was serving as a captain in Company A, 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment
46th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 46th Infantry Regiment is a unit in the United States Army that served in WWII.-History:During World War II, the 46th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 5th Armored Division...
, Americal Division
Americal Division
The 23rd Infantry Division, more commonly known as the Americal Division of the United States Army was formed in May 1942 on the island of New Caledonia. In the immediate emergency following Pearl Harbor, the United States had hurriedly sent three individual regiments to defend New Caledonia...
. During a firefight starting on May 13 and finally ending on May 14, 1969 in Quang Tin Province, Republic of Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, Dunagan showed conspicuous leadership as he organized his men and rescued wounded soldiers despite his own serious wounds.
Dunagan was wounded on two occasions during this ferocious battle. Still, with his company of soldiers, they successfully fought off wave after wave from a battalion of Viet Cong Regulars in near, hand-to-hand combat conditions. Dunagan was 1st wounded in the early evening of May 13 during a mortar attack. He refused to be evacuated and thus, separated from his men.
Throughout the ensuing night of May 13 and morning of the 14th, the attack was unrelenting and Dunagan was again seriously wounded for a 2nd time. Again, he refused to be evacuated. In the end, after losing many of his men during those two days, Dunagan was finally able to maneuver his men by way of a plan struck in the final hours of daylight of May 14, 1969.
Dunagan and the base commander, Colonel Underhill, of LZ Professional, decided to have the base artillery units attempt to throw up as much smoke - in as many ways they could muster - to conceal Dunagan and his men as they made their final attempt to escape an extremely aggressive enemy. Had the plan not worked, it was considered doubtful that Dunagan and the men of Company A would have survived.
The U.S. base's barrage of incendiary, artillery rounds seemed to make the difference as Dunagan and his remaining troops were afforded a blanket of smoke in which to make their way across a wet, soggy, open field. Under constant fire, attempting to reach the perimeter of LZ Professional, there was no guarantees the plan would work.
Eventually, most of the surviving men made their way back. Yet, not all was secured, as the battalion of N. Vietnamese Army was aggressively following the men of Company A. After Dunagan insisted on going back into the inferno to look for surviving soldiers, he finally located one wounded soldier. Placing the soldier on his shoulders, Dunagan busted his way back to the perimeter of LZ Professional. Once there the base commander, Colonel Underhill, ordered a massive bombing of the North Vietnamese position.
Captain Dunagan spent the next weeks of May and June, 1969, in Tokyo, Japan. After surgeries to repair his wounds and recuperation, he was sent stateside to resume his career. In 1985, a skin cancer, melanoma, was found in a mole on Dunagan's neck. The cancer would eventually metastasize in his inner organs and in 1991, Dunagan passed away.
Dunagan was subsequently promoted to major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
and awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.
Dunagan reached the rank of colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
before leaving the Army. He died at age 57 of cancer and was buried in San Francisco National Cemetery
San Francisco National Cemetery
San Francisco National Cemetery is a U.S. National Cemetery, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, California. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with Golden Gate National Cemetery, a few miles south of the city....
, San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Medal of Honor citation
Major Dunagan's official Medal of Honor citation reads:For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Maj. (then Capt.) Dunagan distinguished himself during the period May 13 and 14, 1969, while serving as commanding officer, Company A. On May 13, 1969, Maj. Dunagan was leading an attack to relieve pressure on the battalion's forward support base when his company came under intense fire from a well-entrenched enemy battalion. Despite continuous hostile fire from a numerically superior force, Maj. Dunagan repeatedly and fearlessly exposed himself in order to locate enemy positions, direct friendly supporting artillery, and position the men of his company. In the early evening, while directing an element of his unit into perimeter guard, he was seriously wounded during an enemy mortarMortar (weapon)A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
attack, but he refused to leave the battlefield and continued to supervise the evacuation of dead and wounded and to lead his command in the difficult task of disengaging from an aggressive enemy. In spite of painful wounds and extreme fatigue, Maj. Dunagan risked heavy fire on 2 occasions to rescue critically wounded men. He was again seriously wounded. Undaunted, he continued to display outstanding courage, professional competence, and leadership and successfully extricated his command from its untenable position on the evening of May 14. Having maneuvered his command into contact with an adjacent friendly unit, he learned that a 6-man party from his company was under fire and had not reached the new perimeter. Maj. Dunagan unhesitatingly went back and searched for his men. Finding 1 soldier critically wounded, Maj. Dunagan, ignoring his wounds, lifted the man to his shoulders and carried him to the comparative safety of the friendly perimeter. Before permitting himself to be evacuated, he insured all of his wounded received emergency treatment and were removed from the area. Throughout the engagement, Maj. Dunagan's actions gave great inspiration to his men and were directly responsible for saving the lives of many of his fellow soldiers. Maj. Dunagan's extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty, are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War