Héctor E. Colón passes

One of our friends send us the sad news that Héctor E. Colón has passed;

Héctor graduated from Officer Candidate School, Ft. Benning, Georgia, and went on to proudly serve his country in Viet Nam. On January 5, 1968, his platoon of 32 men came under attack from 400 enemy fighters. Héctor led his brave men in battle in which seven of them were killed and many were wounded. For his bravery and dedication to duty, Héctor received the Distinguished Service Cross, the United States Army’s second highest award for valor. He was inducted into the Office Candidate School Hall of Fame on May 8, 2017.

The citation for his Distinguished Service Cross reads;

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Second Lieutenant (Infantry) Hector E. Colon (ASN: 0-5338231), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company B, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Second Lieutenant Colon distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 5 January 1968 as a platoon leader of an infantry company during a helicopter extraction operation in War Zone C. Lieutenant Colon’s platoon had just completed a reconnaissance-in-force mission and was awaiting extraction when it came under heavy rocket, mortar, automatic weapons and small arms fire from an estimated four hundred Viet Cong. He quickly positioned his men to repel the advancing enemy. His radio operator was wounded and the radio damaged. Lieutenant Colon secured another set and directed artillery fire and air strikes on the insurgents, sometimes to within five meters of the friendly positions. He personally killed five enemy soldiers who tried to overrun the platoon’s perimeter. As the firing subsided, he supervised the evacuation of the casualties, saw that the remainder of his men were extracted, and insured that all weapons and equipment were recovered. His exemplary leadership was directly responsible for routing the numerically superior and determined Viet Cong. Second Lieutenant Colon’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Category: Real Soldiers