Kern W. Dunagan

Infobox Military Person
name=Kern W. Dunagan
born= birth date|1934|2|20
died= Death date and age|1991|12|27|1934|2|20
placeofbirth=Superior, Arizona
placeofdeath=
placeofburial= San Francisco National CemeteryrSan Francisco, California


caption=Medal of Honor
nickname=
allegiance=United States of America
branch=United States Army
serviceyears=
rank=Colonel
commands=
unit=46th Infantry Regiment, Americal Division
battles=Vietnam War
awards=Medal of Honor
relations=
laterwork=

Kern W. Dunagan (February 20, 1934 – December 27, 1991) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.

Biography

Dunagan joined the Army from Los Angeles, California, and by May 13 1969 was serving as a captain in Company A, 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment, Americal Division. During a firefight on that day, in Quang Tin Province, Republic of Vietnam, Dunagan showed conspicuous leadership as he organized his men and rescued wounded soldiers despite his own wounds. He was subsequently promoted to major and awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Dunagan reached the rank of colonel before leaving the Army. He died at age 57 and was buried in San Francisco National Cemetery, San Francisco, California.

Medal of Honor citation

Major Dunagan's official Medal of Honor citation reads::For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Maj. (then Capt.) Dunagan distinguished himself during the period May 13 and 14, 1969, while serving as commanding officer, Company A. On May 13, 1969, Maj. Dunagan was leading an attack to relieve pressure on the battalion's forward support base when his company came under intense fire from a well-entrenched enemy battalion. Despite continuous hostile fire from a numerically superior force, Maj. Dunagan repeatedly and fearlessly exposed himself in order to locate enemy positions, direct friendly supporting artillery, and position the men of his company. In the early evening, while directing an element of his unit into perimeter guard, he was seriously wounded during an enemy mortar attack, but he refused to leave the battlefield and continued to supervise the evacuation of dead and wounded and to lead his command in the difficult task of disengaging from an aggressive enemy. In spite of painful wounds and extreme fatigue, Maj. Dunagan risked heavy fire on 2 occasions to rescue critically wounded men. He was again seriously wounded. Undaunted, he continued to display outstanding courage, professional competence, and leadership and successfully extricated his command from its untenable position on the evening of May 14. Having maneuvered his command into contact with an adjacent friendly unit, he learned that a 6-man party from his company was under fire and had not reached the new perimeter. Maj. Dunagan unhesitatingly went back and searched for his men. Finding 1 soldier critically wounded, Maj. Dunagan, ignoring his wounds, lifted the man to his shoulders and carried him to the comparative safety of the friendly perimeter. Before permitting himself to be evacuated, he insured all of his wounded received emergency treatment and were removed from the area. Throughout the engagement, Maj. Dunagan's actions gave great inspiration to his men and were directly responsible for saving the lives of many of his fellow soldiers. Maj. Dunagan's extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty, are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

ee also

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

References

*findagrave|7414257 Retrieved on 2007-07-30
*cite web
publisher = U.S. Army Center of Military History
title = Medal of Honor Recipients - Vietnam (A-L)
work = Medal of Honor Citations
date = July 16 2007
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/vietnam-a-l.html
accessdate = 2007-07-30

Persondata
NAME= Dunagan, Kern W.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=