INDIVIDUAL AWARDS FOR VALOR

Listed on this page are awards given to members of the Battalion from 1965-1971.  They encompass every Medal of Honor and Navy Cross. The Silver Star list is incomplete (there is no master list).  If you know of an award of a Silver Star not listed here, please let us know so that we may add it.  The incredible research done to be able to identify these Marines and Corpsmen by unit was performed by Billy L. Myers and we've compiled it from an appendix from his book Honor the Warrior.  He has graciously allowed us to use his research for this purpose. We've added thirteen names since this table was first put up.  These were Marines that are on Billy's rosters but had no unit identification attached but were recognized by battalion members.  Ten are from Lima and three from Mike Company.

The following three tables are broken down by Medal of Honor, Navy Cross and Silver Star.  The listings are arranged in alphabetical order. Names denoted by an asterisk indicate a posthumous award (there are Marines here who were KIA after their award, example Capt. Ski...Henry Kolakowski, and don't have an asterisk by their name).  Rank given is not necessarily rank at time of award.  Errors and omissions in copying the information are mine alone.

There are 4 Medals of Honor, 16 Navy Crosses and 96 Silver Stars.  The dates, if you peruse them carefully will scream out Operations Hastings, Union I, Union II, Swift, Taylor Common and Tet, among many others. 

If you click on any name underlined in blue, you will jump to the actual citation located on one of the company sites or here. As of this date, October 10, 2000, we've added 6 Silver Star citations under this page, Colonel Davis who was the Regimental CO; From Kilo Company Robert Tilley and Joseph Tenney; From Lima Company Donald Vogelgesang, Lester Konrady and Lee Anderson.  On October 11, we've added the Navy Cross citations for Curtis Baggett (Kilo), Daniel Hayes (Lima), Christopher Mosher (Kilo) and Jose Rivera (Lima).  On October 18, the Silver Star Citation for Corporal Melecio Ortiz was posted on India's site.

On December 18, we added Byron Hill to the Silver Star list. He was an FO attached to Mike Company.  Also the date of Robert Tilley's citation (Kilo) was corrected. On December 20 established a link to Byron Hill's citation on Mike Company's site. On January 12, 2001 we added a listing for Charles Edward Mariskanish, India Company. On January 16 we added a link to what we believe to be Charles Mariskanish's Silver Star Citation  (it was included in an official letter to his family). On January 24 we added a listing for Terry (Pat) Burns of Mike Company on the Silver Star list. On January 28 we added a listing for Dan Link, a Corpsman with Mike Company on the Silver Star list. We've added a link to Dan Link's Silver Star citation. On August 27 we added a link to Doc Bowman's Silver Star citation.

On February 17, 2001 we added links to the Silver Star citations for Lt. Joseph Walters (Mike Company) and Sergeant Michael Brown (H&S Company). On March 28 we added a listing for Dennie Peterson, Navy Cross, India with a link to the India site where the citation is posted. On July 18, 2001 we added a listing for Doc Harry Bowman, Mike Company. On August 14, 2001 we posted David Stinson's Silver Star Citation (Lima Company). On August 30 we added a listing and link to the Silver Star Citation for Paul Smith (India).

On November 15 we added a link to the Silver Star Citation for Sgt Leslie Thompson (Mike). On November 16 we added listings for six more Silver Stars.  Giordano, Harville, Howard and Hoyez from Mike Co., Hewitt from Kilo, and Gulash from Lima. On November 17, we added link to India Company's Silver Star Citation for Corporal Durward Timmons. On November 18, we added a link to Mike Company's Silver Star Citation for PFC Owen White. And we posted Lima Company's Silver Star Citation for Lieutenant Robert Zimmerman. On November 19 we linked to Stuart Tyson's Silver Star Citation (Mike Company). On November 20 we linked to John Valdez' Silver Star citation (India). On November 22 we linked to Peter Schrader's Silver Star citation (Mike). On November 23 we linked to the Silver Star Citations to William Rawson and Henry Kolakowski (both India). On November 24 we linked to the Silver Star Citation for Paul Anasiewicz (Mike). On November 25 we added a link to  the Silver Star for James Castor (India) and posted Silver Star Citations for Thomas Murphy and Benjamin Richardson (Lima). On November 28 we added a link to the Silver Star Citation for Adam Banks (Mike). On November 30, we added Silver Star citations for Clarence Barrett and Gary Boeck (both Lima), and Wayne Brandon (Kilo). On December 1, we added links to Silver Star citations to George Brick and Denis Flood (Mike). On December 3, we added the Silver Star citations for Ollie Forte (Lima) and Robert Johnson (Kilo), as well as linking to Dan Hignight's citation on Mike Co's site. On December 7, we added the Silver Star citation for Donald Justis (Lima). On December 14 we added the Silver Star Citations for Werner Kuehlmann (Kilo), Clarence Love (Lima), Battalion CO Dean Esslinger, and linked to those from Vincent Lee (India) and Howard Manfra (Mike). On December 18 we added Silver Star Citations for Robert Marsden and Richard Maresco (Kilo), Robert McMullin (Lima), and Howard Nielsen (Mike). On December 21 we added Silver Star Citations for Paul Orlett (Kilo), John Niotis (Lima), and Frank Pacello (Mike). On December 23 we completed adding all the Silver Star Citations we have, courtesy of Billy Myers (with many thanks!).  We added the Silver Star Citations for Battalion Commander William Rockey, Company L Commander Harold Pettengill, Company K Commander Frederick Smith, Charles Strickland from India company and Mariano Ribillia, Jr. from Kilo company. On April 10, 2002 we linked to the Silver Star Citation for James McElroy (Mike Company). On June 24, we added a listing for William Hatzfield's Silver Star, Mike Company. On September 19 we added a link to the citation of Jeffery Goss's Silver Star, Mike Company. On February 22, we added a link to the citation for Roy Youngblood, Mike Company. On October 22, 2003 we added a link to Michael Kempel's Silver Star, Mike Company. On August 28, 2004 we added links to three silver star citations, all Mike Company:  1st Lieutenant John Fretwell, Lance Corporal Marcus Sykora and Sergeant Ricky Almanza. On April 24,2005 we added the citation for Corporal Dan Dennis, Mike Company.

                MEDAL OF HONOR                   

                                NAVY CROSS                                 

                    SILVER STAR                   

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