The Wall update

Thursday, July 3, 2008

S/Sgt. Nick Bacon

Congressional Medal of Honor recipient S/Sgt. Nick Bacon will be in Marked Tree Saturday, Sept 27 to speak at the Vietnam Wall Memorial Ceremony.

Bacon served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army, Company B, 4th Battalion, 21st Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division.

Born Nov. 25, 1945 in Caraway, he entered the service in Phoneix, Ariz.

S/Sgt. Bacon received the Congressional Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while West of Tam Ky, Republic of Vietnam, on Aug. 26, 1968.

S/Sgt. Bacon distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader with the 1st Platoon, Company B, during an operation west of Tam Ky. When Company B came under fire from an enemy bunker line to the front, S/Sgt. Bacon quickly organized his men and led them forward in an assault. He advanced on a hostile bunker and destroyed it with grenades. As he did so, several fellow soldiers including the 1st Platoon leader, were struck by machine gun fire and fell wounded in an exposed position forward of the rest of the platoon. S/Sgt. Bacon immediately assumed command of the platoon and assaulted the hostile gun position finally killing the enemy gun crew in a singlehanded effort.

When the 3rd Platoon moved to S/Sgt. Bacon's location, its leader was also wounded. Without hesitation S/Sgt. Bacon took charge of the additional platoon and continued the fight. In the ensuing action he personally killed four more enemy soldiers and silenced an antitank weapon.

Under his leadership and example, the members of both platoons accepted his authority without question. Continuing to ignore the intense hostile fire, he climbed up on the exposed deck of a tank and directed fire into the enemy position while several wounded men were evacuated.

As a result of S/Sgt. Bacon's extraordinary efforts, his company was able to move forward, eliminate the enemy positions, and rescue the men trapped to the front. S/Sgt. Bacon's bravery at the risk of his life was in the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

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The Traveling Wall brings the emotional impact of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the home towns of those whose names are remembered on it.

There is a web site that does the same, named The Virtual Wall (TM) at www.VirtualWall.org that has thousands of personal remembrances honoring those who died in Vietnam.

The Virtual Wall web site does not accept fees, donations, or advertising in order to honor the fallen.

-- Posted by JimVeteran on Thu, Jul 3, 2008, at 9:51 PM