Bravo Company to hold reunion here
Members of the U.S. Army unit that included U.S. Army Specialist Four Danny J. Petersen will hold a “company reunion” this weekend, and the unit’s activities will include a Saturday morning ceremony at Petersen’s grave in Netawaka Cemetery.
Petersen, a member of Company B (Bravo Company), 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division who was killed in action on Jan. 9, 1970, will be remembered at Saturday’s ceremony, which will begin at 10:30 a.m., according to Petersen’s company commander, Fred Drew. About two dozen members of Bravo Company will be involved in the ceremony, it was reported.
The ceremony will involve participation from members of Petersen’s family, as well as comments from members of Petersen’s company. Other members of Bravo Company who were killed in action in 1969 and 1970 will also be recognized, it was reported. The ceremony is open to the public, and a lunch will follow at the Veterans Club in Holton.
According to Petersen’s official, posthumous Medal of Honor citation, he was the driver of an armored personnel carrier (APC) that was coming to the aid of another disabled APC on Jan. 9, 1970, in southern Vietnam, while in combat with the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). The disabled APC’s crewmen were pinned down by heavy fire, it was noted.
Petersen moved his own personnel carrier in between the disabled carrier and the NVA, placing “suppressive fire” on the enemy army and enabling crew members of the disabled carrier to repair their vehicle. He then moved his vehicle to within 10 feet of the NVA, even while still under heavy hostile fire, according to the citation. His vehicle then received a direct hit, and the driver was wounded as a result.
“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,” the citation stated. “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.”
Although he was taking heavy fire on three sides, Petersen remained with his disabled vehicle, “alone and completely exposed,” the citation said. He stood on top of the vehicle and continued to provide covering fire until 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,” the citation said.
Petersen was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery by President Richard Nixon, it was reported. His other medals include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster.
Petersen is buried in Netawaka Cemetery, where the memorial will take place. His name also graces a stretch of U.S. Highway 75 between Netawaka and Holton, a section of road recognized as the Danny J. Petersen Memorial Highway in 1994.
