The Silver Star came as a mystery to retired Sgt. 1st Class Richard L. Smith. Amazingly, no MSM seemed to pick this up.

He remembers the battle in the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam — running under heavy enemy fire to rescue wounded soldiers.

But the 69-year-old from Lumberton, N.C., said he has no idea who nominated him for the Army’s third highest award for valor.

On Aug. 29, Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, presented Smith with the Silver Star on Pegasus Field at Fort Bragg, N.C., in front of family members and fellow Vietnam War veterans.

Forty years ago, then-Spec. 5 Smith was serving as a crew chief of a UH-1D helicopter while assigned to B Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Today, the 229th AHB is now part of the 82nd as the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.

Smith received the Silver Star for “gallantry in action on November 17, 1965, in the Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam when he voluntarily departed from his position in his helicopter twice to run onto an open field under fire, risking his own life to drag wounded soldiers onboard for evacuation,� according to a press release.

“It was total chaos. Going in, you could see our troops on the ground and the [Viet Cong] on the ground and as soon as we got close enough they would open up on us,� Smith said, recalling the scene at LZ Albany during a telephone interview following the medals ceremony.

“We brought ammo in and took the wounded out. … The grunts on the ground would bring their wounded over.

“Some wounded were standing out there and didn’t know what to do. It was just instinct. They were there; I saw them and went and got them.�

Smith received a Bronze Star for Valor for rescuing wounded from a different landing zone a few days earlier during the same battle.

“What happened was I got the Bronze star with V for LZ X-ray,� he said. “That was presented to me in An Khe in 1965.�

Smith said a friend telephoned him in July and told him he would be receiving a Silver Star, .

“I figured the Bronze Star for X-ray was it, and I was proud to get that too,� he said. “Then I get this call one day, saying I’m getting the Silver Star for Albany.

“I have my suspicions, but I have never been told who did it. I’d like to thank them for it.�

Smith said it was “beautiful� award ceremony.

“The 82nd Aviation Brigade did a magnificent job,� he said. “The weather was perfect. Family and friends were there. It was a perfect day.�

Smith retired June 30, 1977. The battle at Ia Drang happened during his first tour in Vietnam from August 1965 to July 1966. He served two more tours in Vietnam in 1967-68 and in 1969-70.

Smith said he doesn’t remember how many times his helicopter went in and out of those “hot LZs� at Ia Drang.

“I didn’t really have time to think about it until later on. … It was my job,� he said.

“After the action is when it gets you. You think about the ones that didn’t make it, and you thank the Lord you are still there.�

By Matthew Cox
Army Times Staff Writer