Vietnam Marine vet awarded Navy Cross 55 years after saving Marines while wounded

Tank & Purpose ^ | August 29, 2024 | Joshua Skovlund

[Perseverando]

Bullets whizzed by Cpl. Daniel “Duke” Heller as he rescued wounded Marines who’d been trapped in a North Vietnamese Army ambush in the A Shau Valley, Vietnam, on Feb. 13, 1969. Despite being wounded by shrapnel from an RPG, Heller pushed on. He received a Silver Star Medal for his actions that day, but his fellow Marines campaigned for years to see the award upgraded. Five-and-a-half decades later, that happened.

On Wednesday, Heller received the Navy Cross, the second-highest valor award a Marine can receive. The 39th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric Smith, pinned Heller’s Navy Cross to his collar during the ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C.

Walking with a baseball bat fashioned into a cane, Heller received the Navy Cross, pinned on by Smith, who expressed amazement by the Vietnam veteran’s response to the award:

The 39th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric M. Smith, pins Cpl. Daniel L. Heller, a U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam veteran,
during his Navy Cross award ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, Washington D.C., Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.
(Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ethan Craw) Sgt. Ethan Craw

Snip:
Heller was leading 3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment

[Perseverando]

A little USMC history lesson: 1st Bn., 9th Marines, aka "the Walking Dead."

(Long before the TV series.)

[PROCON]

Respect, thank you for your Service and sacrifice, Marine from an old Army RVN Vet!

[allendale]

People in combat units will risk their lives for their comrades even if they dislike them personally. Many soldiers have died heroically and unrecognized doing or trying to do what this brave, noble man did.

[Allegra]

God bless Cpl. Heller and God bless all of our vets. Thank you, Cpl. Heller. ♥️

[FoxInSocks]

“I didn’t do it for a Navy Cross. Hell, I had never even heard of a Navy Cross,” Heller said during the ceremony. “I appreciate everyone here. It’s been a long, long, winding road, but here I am. I just want to say how thankful I am. Semper Fi, and how ‘bout them Jarheads!”

haha awesome. Semper fi!

[Perseverando]

haha awesome. Semper fi!

Semper Fi!
Do or die!

[SunkenCiv]

• Gold Worth $2.5 Million Found Hidden in Tank Bought on eBay [10/06/2024]

[ComputerGuy]

The Walking Dead is what 1/9 was known as, especially Bravo Company. On 7/2/67 they walked into the ultimate ambush and lost all their officers, all their Corpsmen and all of their NCOs but one. They told us to saddle up. We were supposed to be helicoptered in to help them. Our CO told HQ that four choppers was all we would need. Barely a month before, we took a stroll up Hill 881S. Over half of us didn't come back.

[stylin19a]

Just damn, doc. Thanx for takin care of us.
Cpl. Heller’s response to the award: “I just wish I could have done more,”

Semper Fi, Cpl. Heller.

[Ronaldus Magnus III]

Our dad fought in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Somehow he survived and returned home to help raise us seven kids. Dad had a drawer full of medals. Like most, he did not talk about it, other than to say all the medals just meant he was lucky. He said the real heroes did not return. He always loved the Marines and Special Forces.