Vietnam vets awarded Silver Stars 45 years later
Robert Frank wrote awards for his helicopter crewmembers in 1972, but the paperwork was lost in the shuffle that year. The Army Huey crew, Robert Monette, Robert Frank, Spc. John Deslouriers and Spc. Leonard “Bruce” Shearer, had rescued the 7-member crew of an Air Force C-130 aircraft which had been shot down near Saigon. Their commander, retired Major Jack Shields resurrected the paperwork and the crew reunited in Arkansas for an award ceremony, according to Fox News;
The “Huey” crew saw the C-130 Hercules plane crash when they were on a research mission in Saigon, Vietnam, 45 years ago.
“They never made a Mayday call. By all accounts, no one knew they had been shot down,” Monette recalled to Stars and Stripes.
They thought there wouldn’t be any survivors, but flew closer and spotted people moving among the burning wreckage, Frank said. They initiated a rescue mission despite being low on fuel.
Deslouriers, the gunner, fended off the North Vietnamese Communist forces as the rest of the team pulled five airmen from the wreckage. Frank called a second helicopter to rescue two more people. No one was killed that day.
From Stars & Stripes;
Robert Monette, who was the helicopter pilot that day, said the medals were “unexpected, and very, very humbling.”
“We did these sorts of things in the air cavalry all the time, the difference this time being it was recognized and documented,” said Robert Frank, the air mission commander on the Huey. “Heroic things were done every day. Sometimes somebody would see it, other times they wouldn’t.”
Category: Veterans in the news
“Heroic things were done every day.”
THIS
//NFE
My thoughts exactly…men doing what needed to be done and moving forward….nice to see it recognized if only a few years behind the event…
Big brass ones! Sorry it took so long for this, men. BZ.
This is a good thing. BZ.
Now that’s a great story.
Kudos to retired Major Jack Shields for standing by his men and making sure they were recognized for their actions.
And kudos to the men for doing a job well.
“Where do we get such men…”
BZ to all involved and to Major Shields for his work in this!
Awesome.
Ya gotta love it when events turn out this way. Yeah.
Great that 45 years later all were able to reunite, too.
Better late than never! And no one was killed that day! BZ to you all and may God bless all of you!
I have a semi personal connection to one of the men mentioned.
It’s a pretty long, drawn out story, so I won’t attempt to describe it here and detract from the awards and accolades rendered.
So, I’ll just say that Bruce Shearer’s nickname in F Troop 1/9 CAV was “Target” and leave it at that.
Job well done to all involved.
“Robert Monette, who was the helicopter pilot that day, said the medals were ‘unexpected, and very, very humbling.'”
Like “Buffalo Bob” Monette could ever be humbled…..
Congrats, Bob and crew!
BZ!
Well done to all. I am humbled by your courage.
True heroes, BZ!
Cocksuckers like James Walls, phony UH-1 pilot, could never fill the shoes of these fine men.
Better late than never. I’m glad they honors rendered while still alive.
“We Can, We Will”.
And they did.
Buffalo Bob Monette hasn’t stopped being a hero. He trained the generation of Apache Pilots who flew in Desert Storm and the Gulf wars. For some, like these men, it’s just who they are! I’m honored to know Bob and his family.
I had the honor of serving with “buffalo bob” in b troop, 2/17 cav, 1976-1979. He was a hell of a guy. I remember quite a few “war stories” about him passed around among our fellow pilots. He deserved this recognition back in those days. Better late than never! Congrats Buffalo!
CW2 Jim Cook