Delbert O Jennings
Delbert was born in Silver City, New Mexico, on the 23rd of July, 1936, and he enlisted in the US Army at the age of twenty in San Francisco, California. Ten years later he was a Staff Sergeant with 1st Battalion (Airborne), 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Division and it was his actions at Firebase Bird in the Republic of Vietnam that would earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Part of Company C was defending an artillery position when attacked by a North Vietnamese Army regiment supported by mortar, recoilless-rifle, and machine gun fire. At the outset, S/Sgt. Jennings sprang to his bunker, astride the main attack route, and slowed the on-coming enemy wave with highly effective machine gun fire. Despite a tenacious defense in which he killed at least 12 of the enemy, his squad was forced to the rear. After covering the withdrawal of the squad, he rejoined his men, destroyed an enemy demolition crew about to blow up a nearby howitzer, and killed 3 enemy soldiers at his initial bunker position. Ordering his men back into a secondary position, he again covered their withdrawal, killing 1 enemy with the butt of his weapon. Observing that some of the defenders were unaware of an enemy force in their rear, he raced through a fire-swept area to warn the men, turn their fire on the enemy, and lead them into the secondary perimeter. Assisting in the defense of the new position, he aided the air-landing of reinforcements by throwing white phosphorus grenades on the landing zone despite dangerously silhouetting himself with the light. After helping to repulse the final enemy assaults, he led a group of volunteers well beyond friendly lines to an area where 8 seriously wounded men lay. Braving enemy sniper fire and ignoring the presence of booby traps in the area, they recovered the 8 men who would have probably perished without early medical treatment. S/Sgt. Jenning's extraordinary heroism and inspirational leadership saved the lives of many of his comrades and contributed greatly to the defeat of a superior enemy force. His actions stand with the highest traditions of the military profession and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
Almost two years later, Delbert received the Medal of Honor from President Johnson in a ceremony on the South Lawn at the White House on the 19th of September, 1968. He would be stationed in West Germany until 1971 and continued to serve in the Army, reaching the rank of Command Sergeant Major, until his retirement in 1985. Delbert Owen Jennings died at the age of 66 on the 16th of March, 2003. He was originally buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl Cemetery, in Hawaii but was later re-interred and now lays in Arlington National Cemetery: Section 7A, Lot 157.
