Army HQ building in Washington state named for Petersen
In July of 1974, Danny Petersen’s family accepted the Medal of Honor on his behalf from Vice President Gerald Ford.
In June of 2015, 25 members of B Company gathered for their first company reunion, and this was the first time that many of the “Bravo” company members had seen each other in 45 years. They met in Kansas and had a ceremony to honor Petersen at his gravesite.
B Company warriors had their second reunion in March of 2017 in Washington, D.C. During this time, Capt. Fred Drew, now a retired lieutenant colonel, had been in contact with the then-Battalion Commander of the 4/23 Infantry, Lt. Col. Dan Rayca. The 4th Battalion is one of three still-active battalions of the 23rd Infantry, and it is stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., now Joint Base Lewis McCord (JBLM).
During discussions between the two, Rayca thought it would be appropriate to name the battalion headquarters building after Petersen. After several months, the Army finally approved the request. During this time, Drew was in contact with the Petersen family so that they could travel to JBLM and witness the building being dedicated to Danny.
Five of Petersen’s siblings then talked and decided to “gift” his Medal of Honor to the battalion. On Aug. 18, the ceremony was held at the 4/23 Infantry Headquarters at JBLM. Petersen family members were in attendance, as were Drew and six of the B Company veterans of the Vietnam War.
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