Danny J. Petersen

Danny John Petersen
Army Medal of Honor
Born	March 11, 1949(1949-03-11) Horton, Kansas
Died	January 9, 1970(1970-01-09) (aged 20) Tay Ninh Province, Republic of Vietnam
Place of burial	Netawaka Cemetery, Netawaka, Kansas
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Specialist Four
Unit	23rd Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Medal of Honor Bronze Star Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster Purple Heart

Danny John Petersen (March 11, 1949 – January 9, 1970) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.

Biography

Petersen joined the Army from Oskaloosa, Kansas, and by January 9, 1970 was serving as a specialist four in Company B, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. On that day, in Tay Ninh Province of the Republic of Vietnam, Petersen repeatedly exposed himself and his armored personnel carrier to enemy fire in order to protect the other soldiers of his unit. After his vehicle was disabled, he stayed behind and was mortally wounded while providing covering fire so others could withdraw.

Petersen, aged 20 at his death, was buried in Netawaka Cemetery, Netawaka, Kansas. A portion of US-75 near Netawaka is named the "Danny J. Petersen Memorial Highway" in his honor.

Medal of Honor citation

Specialist Petersen's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Specialist Petersen distinguished himself while serving as an armored personnel carrier commander with Company B during a combat operation against a North Vietnamese Army Force estimated to be of battalion size. During the initial contact with the enemy, an armored personnel carrier was disabled and the crewmen were pinned down by the heavy onslaught of enemy small arms, automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Spec. Petersen immediately maneuvered his armored personnel carrier to a position between the disabled vehicle and the enemy. He placed suppressive fire on the enemy's well-fortified position, thereby enabling the crewmembers of the disabled personnel carrier to repair their vehicle. He then maneuvered his vehicle, while still under heavy hostile fire to within 10 feet of the enemy's defensive emplacement. After a period of intense fighting, his vehicle received a direct hit and the driver was wounded. With extraordinary courage and selfless disregard for his own safety, Spec. Petersen carried his wounded comrade 45 meters across the bullet-swept field to a secure area. He then voluntarily returned to his disabled armored personnel carrier to provide covering fire for both the other vehicles and the dismounted personnel of his platoon as they withdrew. Despite heavy fire from 3 sides, he remained with his disabled vehicle, alone and completely exposed. Spec. Petersen was standing on top of his vehicle, firing his weapon, when he was mortally wounded. His heroic and selfless actions prevented further loss of life in his platoon. Spec. Petersen's conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary heroism are in the highest traditions of the service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

See also

	Biography portal
	United States Army portal

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War

References

• "Danny J. Petersen". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6403871. Retrieved 2007-06-27. 
• "Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients (M-Z)". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. October 3, 2003. http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/vietnam-m-z.html. Retrieved 2007-06-27. 

Persondata
Name	Petersen, Danny J.
Alternative names
Short description	Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient
Date of birth	March 11, 1949
Place of birth	Horton, Kansas
Date of death	January 9, 1970
Place of death	Tay Ninh Province, Republic of Vietnam