Photo By John Crosby | Hoosier Vietnam veteran Frank Spink, 66, Plainfield, Ind., speaks with the media with...... read more read more
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INDIANAPOLIS – Gray, balding, proudly wearing his American Flag polo shirt, the right sleeve dangling loosely off his right shoulder, Frank Spink, 66, Plainfield, Ind., sat modestly with his family awaiting his presentation of the Department of Defense’s third-highest award for gallantry, the Silver Star Medal.
More than four decades earlier, at roughly 3 a.m., June 13, 1968, Sgt. Spink scanning his sector for Viet Cong, pulling guard duty at an under-strength Special Forces camp in Dak Pek, South Vietnam.
His fellow Soldiers knew him for his coolness under fire. He adapted quick as a combat infantryman. As a draftee with less than 11 months of service he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and was a well respected squad leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division.
Vigilantly watching the perimeters of his post, Spink realized the enemy was silently moving in around him. Spink immediately alerted his comrades of the imminent attack waking many Soldiers from their bunks, scrambling to fighting positions.
In less than a minute, the enemy engaged the perimeter and fired flares over the U.S. command post, it was obvious the attack was well planned and coordinated.
Spink engaged the enemy. Men fell around him. He emptied his magazine at the approaching enemy and went to load another.
“I reached up to grab another magazine, and that’s when a rocket hit my bunker. My bunker blew up,” said Spink. His right arm was shredded in the blast. Despite this devastating blow, he again engaged the enemy and rally his troops until loosing conciseness.
The fight intensified. Spink’s company was assaulted by two, heavily-armed companies of Viet Cong. Much of the fighting was hand-to-hand, said Spink’s platoon leader, 1st Lt. John McHenry applied pressure to his wounds.
“I call him lieutenant Dan,” Spink said chuckling, using his best Forest Gump accent. His face grew more serious. “He saved me from bleeding to death. He helped saved my life that night.”
McHenry put Spink in for the Silver Star, scrawling what he witnessed that night onto plain notebook paper and gathering accounts of those present.
“He saved a lot of lives that night,” McHenry said of Spink. “If he hadn’t woke us up, if we didn’t have those extra few seconds to prepare, who knows where we’d be today.”
The Silver Star was approved. However, due to an incorrect serial number, Spink was never awarded the medal.
Forty years later, as combat veterans often do, McHenry began reconnecting with the comrades he served with so long ago. He researched his unit at the National Archives in College Park, Md., and learned that Spink had never received the medal he’d put him in for. McHenry made it his personal mission to see Spink receive this long-overdue honor.
Finally, after working with Indiana Congressman Todd Rokita, the award was ready to be pinned. Spink would finally see the honor he deserved.
“All of us here today salute you for your service,” said Rokita. “As Americans, we all express our sadness that you haven't received this honor until now.
Indiana Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, officially pinned the award to Spink.
“Our nation did you and all of our Vietnam vets wrong,” said Umbarger. “But, thank God we learned from it. A lot of what we have today, of what we do for these brave men and women who are serving our country, is because of what we did not do for you. Welcome home. Your nation thanks you for your service.”
A humble Spink returned the thank you.
“I truly appreciate this day. If somebody told me a year ago this day was gonna happen, I wouldn’t believe ‘em. But it’s here and I’m kinda glad it’s over with now,” Spink said smiling to a laughing audience, Silver Star pinned to his star-spangled shirt.
Spink also thanked his old platoon leader who saved his life so many years earlier. “This guy right here made this day possible. He’s sure been a friend for 44 years.”
“I think I can settle down now. Maybe go home and have a glass of wine.”
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2012 16:06 |
| Story ID: | 92938 |
| Location: | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, US |
| Hometown: | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, US |
| Hometown: | PLAINFIELD, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 312 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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