Lest We Forget: Petersen to be remembered at company reunion here

On Jan. 9, 1970, U.S. Army Specialist Four Danny J. Petersen made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam, putting himself in harm’s way so that the men of his Army unit could get to safety during a battle with North Vietnamese Army forces.

On Saturday, June 6, members of Petersen’s unit will hold a “company reunion” for the first time in 45 years to remember his sacrifice and visit his grave in the Netawaka Cemetery.

Fred Drew, who was Petersen’s company commander in Company B (Bravo Company), 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, at the time of Petersen’s death in Tay Ninh province in southern Vietnam, said nearly two dozen members of Bravo Company will visit Petersen’s grave at 10:30 a.m. that day for a memorial ceremony.

“These are the guys who were with Danny and fought with him,” said Drew, now a resident of Bakersfield, Calif., who is facilitating the three-day reunion that begins on Friday, June 5.

As leader of Bravo Company, Captain Drew was in charge of between 160 and 180 men. He remembered Petersen as a good soldier and a “courageous American” who not only earned his posthumously-awarded Medal of Honor for his actions on that day but for his teamwork with his leaders and his company.

Petersen was the driver of an armored personnel carrier, also known as an APC or a “track,” and as Drew recalled, those drivers were most at risk from mines in territory that APCs had to travel through. In Vietnam, Drew said, company members rode on top of the APCs because of the mines, and each APC had a squad on it, led by a “track commander,” or TC, who manned a 50-caliber machine gun.

“What I remember most about Danny was that he was a small-town farm boy, never gave me or his chain of command any trouble, and always responded to orders about moving the tracks wherever needed and was ready to fight,” Drew said.

According to Petersen’s official Medal of Honor citation, another APC was disabled “and the crewmen were pinned down by the heavy onslaught of enemy small arms, automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenade fire.” He 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.

Petersen 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.

Drew said Petersen was the only member of the company who was killed in action that day, while many others were wounded. He and the other survivors of that day’s actions have continued to think about Petersen through the years, getting together in smaller, more personal gatherings to remember their company.

The impetus for a full company reunion came in February of 2013, when Drew received a letter from one of his soldiers, Mike Dempsey, a Specialist Four like Petersen, saying that Dempsey and other members of the company had been trying to locate him for some time.

“Some of the platoon guys have been getting together over the years,” Drew said. “As I started hearing from more and more of the Bravo Warriors, the subject of a company reunion came up… Everyone agreed that we should meet close to Danny’s resting place.”

Saturday, June 6, marks the 46th anniversary of another huge battle involving Bravo Company, Drew said — a battle for control of the capital city of Tay Ninh Province. He added that the date is also the 71st anniversary of one of the biggest battles in U.S. military history, the D-Day Invasion in France during World War II.

But for the men of Bravo Company, that date this year will mark the largest company reunion since they lived and fought together as a team in Vietnam. Drew said that so far, 23 members of the company will be participating in the reunion, many with their wives.

The June 6 ceremony, to begin at 10:30 a.m. at Petersen’s grave in the Netawaka Cemetery, 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.

“This will, of course, be open to all, especially all veterans from the area,” Drew said.

A lunch will follow the ceremony at the Veterans Club in Holton.