Kenneth Altazan gets a Navy Cross

Marine_7002 sends us a link about Kenneth Altazan who was a Marine sergeant on May 9, 1969 in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. He was a crewchief on a CH-47 helicopter and their mission that day was to evacuate wounded Marines while under fire from enemy forces.

At the second pickup, crew chief Altazan, standing on the ramp of the helicopter, saw one Marine carrying another. Both men fell, and Altazan ran to them in open fire. He picked up one Marine and began helping them. As they moved to the helicopter, the Marine he was carrying was shot, and they all collapsed, severely injuring Altazan’s knee in the process. He stood back up, however, and pushed forward.

Then, at the last landing, Altazan noticed someone waving a green T-shirt in a field of rice paddies, and he went out again, despite the excruciating pain in his knee.

He jumped from the helicopter, running to the Marine and toward the enemy line firing at him, with no regard for his own safety, and found not one person but two in need of help. One had heat stroke, and the other was unconscious. Altazan pulled the unconscious man onto his shoulder, carrying him and stumbling to safety while he assisted the other.

Sergeant Altazan was awarded a Silver Star at the time, but years later, someone uncovered a recording of the air traffic that day and his Senator, Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana thought that Altazan deserved more recognition, so he was awarded a Navy Cross for his actions more than 45 years ago at an emotional ceremony in Baton Rouge.

Category: Real Soldiers