Fort Campbell in Montgomery County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Medal of Honor Recipients

Airborne

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, May 4, 2024

1. Medal of Honor Recipients Marker

Inscription.

Medal of Honor Recipients. Airborne. First Lieutenant James A. Gardner Dyersburg, TN HHC, 1ST Battalion, 327TH IN. On 07 February 1966, LT Gardner's platoon was advancing to relieve another unit that was pinned down in My Canh, Vietnam. Under heavy fire, he led the assault on multiple bunkers, destroying two bunkers with grenades. Then, crawling swiftly along the dike of a rice paddy, he reached the third bunker where he was fired upon by an enemy gunner. LT Gardner returned fire and killed the enemy gunner at six feet. He then reorganized his platoon and charged the enemy position. Nearing the position he leaped up with a grenade in one hand and firing his rifle with the other. He was wounded during this advance but, with his last valiant effort, he tossed the grenade in the bunker destroying it and its occupants. LT Gardner fell dead on the rim of the bunker., Specialist 4 Dale E. Wayryen Moose Lake, MN CO B, 2ND Battalion, 502D IN. On 18 May 1967, near Duc Pho, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam, SP4 Wayrynen's platoon was assisting in the night evacuation of the wounded from an earlier enemy contact when the lead man of the unit met face to face with a Viet Cong soldier. Shouting from American soldiers immediately resulted in the area being swept by automatic weapons fire from a strongly built bunker nearby. SP4 Wayrynen was the second man in the formation and when the first man fell, he dragged his injured companion back to where the squad had taken cover. A live grenade landed in the center of the tightly grouped men SP4 Wayrynen quickly assessed the danger, warned the entire squad, and threw himself on the grenade at the moment it exploded, saving his fellow soldiers. He was mortally wounded., Sergeant First Class Webster Anderson Winnsboro, SC Battery A, 2D Battalion, 320TH Artillery. During the early morning hours on 15 October 1967, Battery A's defensive position was attacked by the North Vietnamese Army Infantry unit. Sergeant Anderson mounted the exposed parapet of his howitzer position and directed devastating direct howitzer fire on the assaulting enemy while providing rife and grenade defensive fire against enemy soldiers. Two enemy grenades exploded at his feet knocking him down and severely wounding him in the legs. Not able to stand, he propped himself on the parapet and continued to direct howitzer fire upon the closing enemy. Seeing an enemy grenade land within the gun pit, Sergeant Anderson seized the grenade and, as he tried throwing it, the grenade exploded, grievously wounding him. He refused to be medically evacuated.

First Lieutenant James A. Gardner
Dyersburg, TN
HHC, 1ST Battalion, 327TH IN On 07 February 1966, LT Gardner's platoon was advancing to relieve another unit that was pinned down in My Canh, Vietnam. Under heavy fire, he led the assault on multiple bunkers, destroying two bunkers with grenades. Then, crawling swiftly along the dike of a rice paddy, he reached the third bunker where he was fired upon by an enemy gunner. LT Gardner returned fire and killed the enemy gunner at six feet. He then reorganized his platoon and charged the enemy position. Nearing the position he leaped up with a grenade in one hand and firing his rifle with the other. He was wounded during this advance but, with his last valiant effort, he tossed the grenade in the bunker destroying it and its occupants. LT Gardner fell dead on the rim of the bunker.

Specialist 4 Dale E. Wayryen
Moose Lake, MN
CO B, 2ND Battalion, 502D IN On 18 May 1967, near Duc Pho, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam, SP4 Wayrynen's platoon was assisting in the night evacuation of the wounded from an earlier enemy contact when the lead man of the unit met face to face with a Viet Cong soldier. Shouting from American soldiers immediately resulted in the area being swept by automatic weapons fire from a strongly built

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bunker nearby. SP4 Wayrynen was the second man in the formation and when the first man fell, he dragged his injured companion back to where the squad had taken cover. A live grenade landed in the center of the tightly grouped men SP4 Wayrynen quickly assessed the danger, warned the entire squad, and threw himself on the grenade at the moment it exploded, saving his fellow soldiers. He was mortally wounded.

Sergeant First Class Webster Anderson
Winnsboro, SC
Battery A, 2D Battalion, 320TH Artillery During the early morning hours on 15 October 1967, Battery A's defensive position was attacked by the North Vietnamese Army Infantry unit. Sergeant Anderson mounted the exposed parapet of his howitzer position and directed devastating direct howitzer fire on the assaulting enemy while providing rife and grenade defensive fire against enemy soldiers. Two enemy grenades exploded at his feet knocking him down and severely wounding him in the legs. Not able to stand, he propped himself on the parapet and continued to direct howitzer fire upon the closing enemy. Seeing an enemy grenade land within the gun pit, Sergeant Anderson seized the grenade and, as he tried throwing it, the grenade exploded, grievously wounding him. He refused to be medically evacuated.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, Vietnam.

Location.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, May 4, 2024

2. Medal of Honor Recipients Marker

36° 38.161′ N, 87° 27.179′ W. Marker is in Fort Campbell, Tennessee, in Montgomery County. It is on Tennessee Avenue south of Screaming Eagle Blvd, on the left when traveling south. Marker is on the campus of Fort Campbell. Visitors must access the base via Gate 7 to access marker. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5658 Tennessee Ave, Fort Campbell KY 42223, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee

and in the Highland Rim.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Unit Insignia / NUTS! (here, next to this marker); Bastogne - WWII (here, next to this marker); 327th Infantry - WWI (here, next to this marker); Vietnam War (here, next to this marker); Battle for An Najaf (here, next to this marker); Desert Storm (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Medal of Honor Recipients (here, next to this marker); Haiti (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Campbell.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 4, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 168 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 8, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.