Dan Walsh receives his Bronze Star — Keynote speech by Simon Gregory

Simon Gregory presented the keynote speech at the March 5, 1998 Bronze Star Medal award ceremony honoring Dan Walsh, in Springfield, Massachusetts. Simon was Dan’s commander in Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines when they were suddenly attacked by a combined force of well-armed Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers in Operation Utah.

Simon Gregory gives the keynote speech at Dan Walsh’s Bronze Star Medal Ceremony, 5 March 1998. Dan Walsh, wearing a red tie, is seated in the foreground at the right.

Simon Gregory’s speech:

Thirty-two years ago today, Dan Walsh, myself, and the men of the Third Battalion 1st Marines, were engaged in combat with an enemy unit that was part of the 21st North Vietnamese Army Regiment.

I would like to relate to you a little bit of the circumstances surrounding the battle and specifically my recollection of Dan’s involvement at that time.

I met Dan the previous spring at Camp Pendleton when he joined “L” Company as Platoon Commander of the 2nd Platoon. This same Platoon had been in my command during my previous tour in the FMF Pacific when we were part of the 1st Battalion 9th Marines. Dan took little time in establishing his presence and it became obvious to me that he had all of the characteristics required to be an effective Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps. In addition, to the learned skills, Dan possessed a moral foundation that was based on commitment to his wife and family, religion, country and fellow Marine. He led through example. His only detectable shortcoming was his painful shyness and reluctance to make himself heard (obviously, I’m joking).

The Republic of Vietnam was divided into four corps tactical zones, each of which was a political as well as military jurisdiction…. In the north, I Corps bordered the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which separated South Vietnam from its northern enemy and in fact was far from demilitarized. On the west, I Corps abutted Laos and the enemy bases supplied by the Ho Chi Minh Trail. North Vietnamese troops could easily invade the region from either direction, and their long-range artillery could shell northern Quang Tri from the relative safety of North Vietnam and Laos. I Corps covered 10,000 square miles. (From the web site of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines.)

We entered Vietnam during the first week of January, 1966¹ and for two months were constantly on foot throughout a considerable part of I Corps. During that time, we engaged the enemy sporadically and relatively lightly compared to what was about to happen.

On or about the 1st of March our Battalion was designated a “Ready Reaction Force” and took up residence on the beach at Chu Lai. On the 3rd of March, I became Company Commander. Two days later I had become a very-experienced Company Commander.

Hill 50 was to become sacred ground

On 4 March I received a frag order to prepare the Company for a helicopter assault on the enemy who had been located just South of the Song Tra Bong River. We landed late in the afternoon in a moderately hot LZ that was dominated by grass 8-10 feet tall. By nightfall we had consolidated and were dug in near the hamlets of Chau Nhai and Hill 50. Hill 50 was to become sacred ground.

The next morning the Battalion moved toward Hill 50, at about 10:30 Mike Company became heavily engaged near Chau Nhai #3. At about the same time, our Company with two platoons up and one back, came under fire from still-undetected enemy soldiers directly to our front. Within minutes, we were fully engaged with the enemy who were well dug in, heavily armed and camouflaged to perfection. The shoulder high brush offered excellent concealment for the holes and emplacements that fortified their positions. The fighting was very close in, personal, and for some of us, hand to hand. Every weapon we possessed had to be utilized, down to and including combat knives.

“Walsh never faltered”

Lieutenant Walsh’s 2nd Platoon was subjected to the most intensive of the fire and his unit suffered the most dead and wounded. The Battle raged on for about 3 1/2-4 hours. Walsh never faltered. Even after he was wounded he maintained control, which directly contributed to minimizing additional casualties. During this Battle I never doubted he would do anything less than he did. At this juncture, when we were past ordinary consciousness, when we had been stripped down to our fundamental mortality, when we were past our fear, we learned things that others can not, and do not know. This does imply that we possess some sort of superiority. It simply means that we know things that others do not know. If we seem proud, and we are, it is the pride we feel for one another, not pride derived from personal selfishness. ”Gung Ho” means working together. Nothing about this experience was theoretical. Every man on the battlefield, enemy and MARINE alike, was free of hyphenated identity, every man had a name, there were no personal pronouns.

The enemy fought bravely and died to the last man. Being on the receiving end of a Marine Company in the assault is not a good place to be. I estimate they lost 75 men +-. An accurate tally would have been difficult due to the violent nature of the conflagration and resulting massive destruction.

Despite massive wounds, Welsh maintained complete composure

Our Company suffered 10 dead and 20 wounded. At the end of it all, Dan Walsh came down the hill supported by two Marines. He was unable to walk on his own because of his massive wounds. In spite of this he maintained complete composure. He filled me in on some details that would affect his Platoon after he left. He was among the last to leave the battlefield. He never mentioned his personal distress.

In addition to his personal bravery and ability to function under fire, my most enduring memory of Dan that day was his complete dedication to his men. He understood the sacred trust required to be a Marine Officer and was willing to sacrifice himself in the execution of that responsibility.

Additional words are not necessary. We are fortunate to have this opportunity to honor him today. Dan Walsh has met the test and had to pay a heavy price, he is all a man can be and he is an outstanding MARINE.

Thank you!