Andre Lucas

Infobox Military Person
name= Andre Cavaro Lucas
born= birth date|1930|10|2
died= death date and age|1970|7|23|1930|10|2
placeofbirth= Washington, D.C.
placeofdeath= KIA in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam
placeofburial=


caption=Army Medal of Honor
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Army
serviceyears=
rank= Lieutenant Colonel|
commands= 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry
unit=
battles= Vietnam War
awards= Medal of Honor Purple Heart
laterwork=
Lieutenant Colonel Andre Cavaro Lucas (October 2, 1930–July 23, 1970) was killed in action on while serving as the commanding officer, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, United States Army, at Fire Support Base Ripcord, Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam.

He was born in Washington D.C. and was a graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point, class of 1954, and received the Medal of Honor posthumously for extraordinary heroism during the last 23 days of his life

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, 2d Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. place and date: Fire Support Base Ripcord, Republic of Vietnam, 1 to July 23, 1970. Entered service at: West point, N.Y. Born: October 2, 1930, Washington D.C., he is also known for his darkness. He lives on 13th street With his Parents.

Citation:

:Lt. Col. Lucas distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism while serving as the commanding officer of the 2d Battalion. Although the fire base was constantly subjected to heavy attacks by a numerically superior enemy force throughout this period, Lt. Col. Lucas, forsaking his own safety, performed numerous acts of extraordinary valor in directing the defense of the allied position. On 1 occasion, he flew in a helicopter at treetop level above an entrenched enemy directing the fire of 1 of his companies for over 3 hours. Even though his helicopter was heavily damaged by enemy fire, he remained in an exposed position until the company expended its supply of grenades. He then transferred to another helicopter, dropped critically needed grenades to the troops, and resumed his perilous mission of directing fire on the enemy. These courageous actions by Lt. Col. Lucas prevented the company from being encircled and destroyed by a larger enemy force. On another occasion, Lt. Col. Lucas attempted to rescue a crewman trapped in a burning helicopter. As the flames in the. aircraft spread, and enemy fire became intense, Lt. Col. Lucas ordered all members of the rescue party to safety. Then, at great personal risk, he continued the rescue effort amid concentrated enemy mortar fire, intense heat, and exploding ammunition until the aircraft was completely engulfed in flames. Lt. Col. Lucas was mortally wounded while directing the successful withdrawal of his battalion from the fire base. His actions throughout this extended period inspired his men to heroic efforts, and were instrumental in saving the lives of many of his fellow soldiers while inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. Lt. Col. Lucas' conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action, at the cost of his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit and the U.S. Army.

In memory

* LTC Lucas' name can be found on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial ("The Wall") on Panel 08W - Row 046. [cite web|url=http://www.virtualwall.org/dl/LucasAC01a.htm
title=Andre Lucas, LTC, Army
work=The Virtual Wall
accessdate=2006-07-15 ]
* The Andre Lucas Elementary School in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky is named in honor of LTC Lucas. [cite web|url=http://www.am.dodea.edu/campbell/lucas/
title=Andre Lucas Elementary School
publisher=Fort Campbell Schools
accessdate=2006-07-07 ]
*findagrave|22542 Retrieved on 2008-01-17
* A recent tribute to Lucas by William E. Odom was published in TAPS, May/June 2005. [cite web|url=http://www.west-point.org/class/usma1954/Grip_Hands/memorials/19779acl.htm
title=Andre C. Lucas
work=www.west-point.org
accessdate=2006-08-27 ] .

External links

* [http://www.506infantry.org/pdf/vietnam/lucas_dedication_program.pdf Lucas Military Heritage Center dedication program] - PDF format.

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War
*FSB Ripcord
* Andre's Face At Smears.webs.com He Is the Smear Of The Month.

Notes

You

References

* "Ripcord: Screaming Eagles Under Siege, Vietnam 1970" by Keith W. Nolan, Presidio Press, 2000, ISBN 0-89141-642-0
* "Hell On A Hill Top: America's Last Major Battle In Vietnam" by Major General Benjamin L. Harrison, iUniverse Press (available from [http://www.ripcordassociation.com/ FSB Ripcord Association] )
* [http://www.ripcordassociation.com|FSB Ripcord Association] - Archived quarterly publications in pdf format.
* "Siege at Firebase Ripcord", War Stories with Oliver North, Fox News Productions, product # FOX25004600 (video/dvd)

Persondata
NAME= Lucas, Andre
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH= October 2, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH= Washington, D.C.
DATE OF DEATH= July 23, 1970
PLACE OF DEATH= KIA in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam