Captain

Roger H.C. Donlon

(US Army)

 

61 years ago, on July 6,

1964, Captain Roger

H. C. Donlon, age 30,

was commanding

U.S. Army Special Forces

Detachment A-726 at

Camp Nam Dong,

Quang Nam Province,

South Vietnam. 

 

The camp housed 12

U.S. Special Forces

soldiers, one Australian

advisor, and around

360 South Vietnamese

and indigenous

CIDG troops.

At approximately

2:30 a.m., the camp came under a coordinated

attack by an estimated

800 to 900 Viet Cong

troops. 

 

The enemy opened fire

with mortars, automatic

weapons,

and small arms in an

effort to overrun the

camp during darkness

and rain.

 

A mortar round struck

a building within the

compound,

causing heavy damage

and setting fires.

Donlon immediately

began organizing the

defense and moving

ammunition from the

burning structures. 

 

He advanced through

direct enemy fire to

reinforce the main gate

sector,

where he encountered

three Viet Cong

demolition personnel

attempting to breach

the perimeter.

He shot and killed

all three. 

 

As he approached the

60mm mortar position,

another explosion

caused severe

abdominal wounds,

but he refused medica

l attention.

 

Donlon led the evacuation of the wounded from

exposed positions.

He relocated the 60mm

mortar to a more

defensible spot

and personally directed

its fire while under

heavy attack. 

 

He crawled through

 the compound multiple

times to resupply other

fighting positions with

ammunition

and to check on

the wounded.

He was wounded again

by grenade fragments

 in the leg and shoulder,

but he continued

to fight and command. 

 

He directed his men and

encouraged them

throughout the five-hour

battle

until the enemy broke

contact shortly after

sunrise.

His leadership,

coordination, and

refusal to be evacuated

were critical in

preventing the enemy

from overrunning

the camp.

 

Captain Roger H. C.

Donlon was awarded

the *Medal of Honor*

for his actions at

Nam Dong.

He became the first

 American to receive

the *Medal of Honor*

for combat in

the Vietnam War and

the first Special Forces

soldier ever to be so

recognized.

President Lyndon B.

Johnson presented

the medal at the White

House on December 5,

1964. 

 

Donlon remained in the

Army and retired

as a colonel in 1988.

He died on January 25,

2024, at the age of 89.

 

로제 H.C. 던론 대위
(미 육군)

61년 전인 1964년

7월 6일, 당시 30세였던 

로저 H.C. 던론 대위는 

남베트남 꽝남성 남동 

캠프에서 미 육군 특수부대

 A-726 분견대를 지휘하고

 있었습니다.

이 캠프에는 미 특수부대원

 12명, 호주 고문 1명, 

그리고 약 360명의 

남베트남 및 토착민 CIDG 

병력이 주둔하고 있었습니다.

 새벽 2시 30분경,캠프는 

약 800~900명의 베트콩

병력의 합동 공격을

받았습니다.

적군은 어둠과 비 속에서

 캠프를 점령하기 위해

 박격포, 자동소총, 그리고 

소총으로 사격을 가했습니다.

박격포탄이 캠프 내 건물에

 명중하여 심각한 피해를

입히고 화재를 일으켰습니다. 

던론 대위는 즉시 방어선을

 구축하고 불타는 건물에서 

탄약을 이동시켰습니다.

그는 적의 직접 사격을 뚫고 

정문 구역을 강화하기 위해

 진격했고, 그곳에서 

경계선을 돌파하려는

 베트콩 폭파 대원 세 명을

 만났습니다. 

그는 세 명을 모두

 사살했습니다.

60mm 박격포 진지에 

접근하던 중 또 다른 폭발로 

복부에 심각한 부상을 

입었지만, 

그는 치료를 거부했습니다.

던론은 노출된 진지에 있던 

부상자들을 후송하는 임무를 

지휘했습니다. 

그는 60mm 박격포를

 방어하기 쉬운 곳으로 옮기고 

집중 공격을 받는 동안 

직접 사격을 지시했습니다.

그는 다른 전투 진지에 

탄약을 보급하고 

부상자들을 확인하기 위해

 여러 차례 진지를 

기어갔습니다.

 다리와 어깨에 수류탄 

파편이 다시 박혔지만, 

그는 계속해서 싸우고 

지휘를 맡았습니다.

그는 해가 뜨자마자 

적과의 접촉이 끊어질

때까지  5시간 동안의

 전투 내내 부하들을 

지휘하고 격려했습니다. 

그의 리더십, 조직력, 

그리고 후송 거부는 

적의 진영 침범을 막는 데

 결정적인 역할을 했습니다.

로저 H. C. 던런 대위는 

남동 전투에서의 공로로

*명예 훈장*을 

수여받았습니다. 

그는 베트남 전쟁 참전으로 

*명예 훈장*을 받은 

최초의 미국인이자, 

특수부대 사상 최초의

훈장을 받은 군인이 

되었습니다. 

린든 B. 존슨 대통령은

 1964년 12월 5일 

백악관에서 이 훈장을 

수여했습니다.

던런은 군에 남아 1988년 

대령으로 전역했습니다. 

그는 2024년 1월 25일 89세를 일기로 세상을 떠났습니다.

 

 

 

2025년 7월 11일 금요일