David H. McNerney
David Herbert McNerney | |
---|---|
First Sergeant | |
Unit | Company A, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division |
Battles/wars | Korean War Vietnam War |
Awards | Medal of Honor |
David Herbert McNerney (June 2, 1931 – October 10, 2010) was a
Early life and family
McNerney was born in
McNerney's family moved to
McNerney married Parmelia Marie "Charlotte" Moeckel in 1961. The couple had no children and Parmelia died in 2003.[2][4][5]
Military service
McNerney served two combat tours in Korea with the Navy before joining the Army.
He was selected to lead Company A, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. After they completed training and were sent to Vietnam, McNerney was not scheduled to go with them. However, during their year of training together, McNerney and the company developed an extremely strong bond, and McNerney volunteered to return to Vietnam with Company A.[7]
Battle of Polei Doc
In late 1966, McNerney began his third tour of duty in Vietnam with Company A. While patrolling and marching across a narrow bridge, the battalion got into a fistfight with members of the 101st Airborne. McNerney was summoned by his company commander for an explanation during which he defended his men's actions. When the Company was given orders, they did not include the typical rest period at a rear base after every patrol. Instead, they were assigned to a forward operating base for an extended period of time, possibly in retribution for the altercation with the 101st Airborne.[7]
After a few months in country, Company A moved to the
After bivouacking for the night, the two companies split up. Within 15 minutes of breaking camp on the morning of March 22, Company A came under attack by a
To clear a landing zone for helicopters, McNerney braved heavy enemy machine gun fire to collect demolition equipment abandoned in rucksacks that had been dropped early in the battle, now outside his company's perimeter. Facing continued heavy small arms fire, he returned to the company's location and blew up trees to create a landing site so a helicopter could extract the wounded. Company A fought for almost the entire day. One soldier propped Lt. Sauer against a tree so he could continue shooting. Sauer later said, ""By that point we were fighting for each other. We were fighting to live. Everything (McNerney) taught them, just clicked. They fought for each other. A lot of them did just unbelievable things. They were all heroes that day. No one thought of themselves."[6] Due to the intense action many casualties were not evacuated until late in the afternoon. Company B, several kilometers from Company A, fought all day to reach the unit, reaching them late in the day. Despite his own injuries, McNerney refused to be evacuated and remained with A Company until a new commander arrived the next day. McNerney said later on that he had a calm feeling and knew that he wasn't going to die that day.[1][7]
During the Battle of Polei Doc, A Company's (totaling 108 troops) casualties include 22 men killed in action and 43 wounded, a 60% casualty rate. After the battle, U.S. troops identified 139
Later service
McNerney returned to the United States in August 1967 and worked as a training instructor at Fort Dix, New Jersey. During a ceremony at the White House on September 19, 1968, he was formally presented with the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B. Johnson. He volunteered for a fourth tour in Vietnam with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, before retiring as a first sergeant in December 1969.[1]
Later years and legacy
After his military career, McNerney returned to the Houston area and settled in Crosby.[2] He worked at the Port of Houston as an inspector with the United States Customs Service, a job he held from 1970 until his final retirement in 1995.[4][5] In his later years he attended numerous public speaking engagements and events in his honor and was involved in Crosby's American Legion post and Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program.[2][3]
On August 24, 2004, McNerney donated his Medal of Honor to his alma mater,
A documentary Honor in the Valley of Tears described McNerney's service with Company A in Vietnam and his Medal of Honor action. It premiered at the May 2010 GI Film Festival. The film was co-written by the son of one of McNerney's soldiers.[4][7]
McNerney was diagnosed with untreatable
The Medal of Honor was donated to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. It is displayed in the William H. Gross Gallery along with First Sergeant David H. McNerney's photo and a selection of his stamps from Korea and Vietnam.
Medal of Honor citation
McNerney's Medal of Honor citation reads:
1st Sgt. McNerney distinguished himself when his unit was attacked by a North Vietnamese battalion near Polei Doc. Running through the hail of enemy fire to the area of heaviest contact, he was assisting in the development of a defensive perimeter when he encountered several enemy at close range. He killed the enemy but was painfully injured when blown from his feet by a grenade. In spite of this injury, he assaulted and destroyed an enemy machinegun position that had pinned down 5 of his comrades beyond the defensive line. Upon learning his commander and artillery forward observer had been killed, he assumed command of the company. He adjusted artillery fire to within 20 meters of the position in a daring measure to repulse enemy assaults. When the smoke grenades used to mark the position were gone, he moved into a nearby clearing to designate the location to friendly aircraft. In spite of enemy fire he remained exposed until he was certain the position was spotted and then climbed into a tree and tied the identification panel to its highest branches. Then he moved among his men readjusting their position, encouraging the defenders and checking the wounded. As the hostile assaults slackened, he began clearing a helicopter landing site to evacuate the wounded. When explosives were needed to remove large trees, he crawled outside the relative safety of his perimeter to collect demolition material from abandoned rucksacks. Moving through a fusillade of fire he returned with the explosives that were vital to the clearing of the landing zone. Disregarding the pain of his injury and refusing medical evacuation 1st Sgt. McNerney remained with his unit until the next day when the new commander arrived. First Sgt. McNerney's outstanding heroism and leadership were inspirational to his comrades. His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.[9]
See also
References
- This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-57965-314-9.
- ^ a b c d e Taylor, David (October 19, 2010). "McNerney laid to rest". The Lake Houston Sentinel. Pasadena, Texas. Archived from the original on October 19, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Local hero expires: David McNerney, received Medal of Honor". Star Courier. Highlands, Texas. October 19, 2010. Archived from the original on February 9, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Dulai, Shaminder (May 12, 2010). "Soldiers reunite to give Houston war hero final salute". Houston Chronicle. Houston, Texas. Archived from the original on May 16, 2010.
- ^ a b c "David Herbert McNerney". Texas State Cemetery. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Sutherland, Andrea (September 30, 2011). "Officer remembers Medal of Honor Recipient" (PDF). Fort Carson Mountaineer. 69 (39). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-12-15. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ IMDb
- ^ Glenn, Mike (October 12, 2010). "Crosby Medal of Honor recipient dies of lung cancer at 79". Houston Chronicle. Houston. Archived from the original on October 13, 2010.
- ^ "Medal of Honor recipients - Vietnam (M – Z)". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. August 3, 2009. Archived from the original on April 24, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
External links
- Honor in the Valley of Tears at IMDb
- GI Film Festival Trailer: Honor In The Valley of Tears on YouTube
- David McNerney's Medal of Honor ceremony on YouTube