Sgt. Auston A.Oliphant, was critically wounded December 12,1972 while on a combat operation in Vietnam. He was injured when a booby trap detonated.
The sergeant related the following account of the happenings to his family: On the 12th day of December at 8 am he was sent out with 13 other men on a search and destroy mission. They had moved about 800 yards when they located two huts and bunkers on the side of a hill.They then moved up a trail to check the huts. The point man walked over two trip wires to booby traps. The second man hit the second wire setting off the trap and wounded him in both legs and the point man in one leg. There were two booby traps between Sgt. Oliphant and the injured men that he didn't know were there. He ran to the injured to help and give them first aid and called for a helicopter to rescue the wounded. He and the others cut down two trees and made seven foot poles. He and eight men took their shirts off and made a stretcher to move the wounded out of the field to the chopper. Within 15 minutes they were in the chopper and on their way to the hospital. The sergeant moved his squad back away from the trap area, made radio contact with his patrol leader and told him their position and what had happened. He instructed him to remain in the present position until he could get there. It was about a hour and 15 minutes until the other squad got to them. They set up a defensive perimeter with his squad. Sgt. Oliphant, the platoon leader, the platoon sergeant, second sergeant and Kit Carson scout, which is a Viet,moved back into the area where the two men were hit. When they got to where the two were wounded, they discovered they were in the middle of a bobby trap area. They disarmed six traps and moved on up to the huts and found explosives which are used to make bobby traps, blasting caps and powder. They burned the huts and moved back down to where the bobby traps were. The platoon leader was calling in his report when Oliphant walked back down the trail and sat down on his steel hat. His platoon leader saw he was depressed and came down to talk to him. Just as the sergeant was in front of Oliphant, Oliphant saw a funny device on the ground and tried to keep the sergeant from stepping on it but he was to late. When it exploded it knocked Oliphant back about 15 or 20 feet. he sat down and listened to the platoon leader call for the chopper to pick them up. Oliphant and the squad leader were helped to the field and onto the chopper and flown to the hospital at Chu Lai. At a bedside ceremony in the Chu Lai Hospital. Sgt. Oliphant was presented four medals by the Division Commander, the Battalion Commander and the Company Commander. The Army Commendation medal was awarded for support performance from November 18 to December 12, the day he was wounded. The Bronze Star was given for risking his life to help the wounded members of his unit. The Silver Star was for meritorious action in trying to save his platoon leader, and the Purple Heart was for his injuries. His battalion gave him a Braille watch at the ceremony.
A special thank you to Candice for sponsoring this memorial.
The sergeant related the following account of the happenings to his family: On the 12th day of December at 8 am he was sent out with 13 other men on a search and destroy mission. They had moved about 800 yards when they located two huts and bunkers on the side of a hill.They then moved up a trail to check the huts. The point man walked over two trip wires to booby traps. The second man hit the second wire setting off the trap and wounded him in both legs and the point man in one leg. There were two booby traps between Sgt. Oliphant and the injured men that he didn't know were there. He ran to the injured to help and give them first aid and called for a helicopter to rescue the wounded. He and the others cut down two trees and made seven foot poles. He and eight men took their shirts off and made a stretcher to move the wounded out of the field to the chopper. Within 15 minutes they were in the chopper and on their way to the hospital. The sergeant moved his squad back away from the trap area, made radio contact with his patrol leader and told him their position and what had happened. He instructed him to remain in the present position until he could get there. It was about a hour and 15 minutes until the other squad got to them. They set up a defensive perimeter with his squad. Sgt. Oliphant, the platoon leader, the platoon sergeant, second sergeant and Kit Carson scout, which is a Viet,moved back into the area where the two men were hit. When they got to where the two were wounded, they discovered they were in the middle of a bobby trap area. They disarmed six traps and moved on up to the huts and found explosives which are used to make bobby traps, blasting caps and powder. They burned the huts and moved back down to where the bobby traps were. The platoon leader was calling in his report when Oliphant walked back down the trail and sat down on his steel hat. His platoon leader saw he was depressed and came down to talk to him. Just as the sergeant was in front of Oliphant, Oliphant saw a funny device on the ground and tried to keep the sergeant from stepping on it but he was to late. When it exploded it knocked Oliphant back about 15 or 20 feet. he sat down and listened to the platoon leader call for the chopper to pick them up. Oliphant and the squad leader were helped to the field and onto the chopper and flown to the hospital at Chu Lai. At a bedside ceremony in the Chu Lai Hospital. Sgt. Oliphant was presented four medals by the Division Commander, the Battalion Commander and the Company Commander. The Army Commendation medal was awarded for support performance from November 18 to December 12, the day he was wounded. The Bronze Star was given for risking his life to help the wounded members of his unit. The Silver Star was for meritorious action in trying to save his platoon leader, and the Purple Heart was for his injuries. His battalion gave him a Braille watch at the ceremony.
A special thank you to Candice for sponsoring this memorial.
Sgt. Auston A.Oliphant, was critically wounded December 12,1972 while on a combat operation in Vietnam. He was injured when a booby trap detonated.
The sergeant related the following account of the happenings to his family: On the 12th day of December at 8 am he was sent out with 13 other men on a search and destroy mission. They had moved about 800 yards when they located two huts and bunkers on the side of a hill.They then moved up a trail to check the huts. The point man walked over two trip wires to booby traps. The second man hit the second wire setting off the trap and wounded him in both legs and the point man in one leg. There were two booby traps between Sgt. Oliphant and the injured men that he didn't know were there. He ran to the injured to help and give them first aid and called for a helicopter to rescue the wounded. He and the others cut down two trees and made seven foot poles. He and eight men took their shirts off and made a stretcher to move the wounded out of the field to the chopper. Within 15 minutes they were in the chopper and on their way to the hospital. The sergeant moved his squad back away from the trap area, made radio contact with his patrol leader and told him their position and what had happened. He instructed him to remain in the present position until he could get there. It was about a hour and 15 minutes until the other squad got to them. They set up a defensive perimeter with his squad. Sgt. Oliphant, the platoon leader, the platoon sergeant, second sergeant and Kit Carson scout, which is a Viet,moved back into the area where the two men were hit. When they got to where the two were wounded, they discovered they were in the middle of a bobby trap area. They disarmed six traps and moved on up to the huts and found explosives which are used to make bobby traps, blasting caps and powder. They burned the huts and moved back down to where the bobby traps were. The platoon leader was calling in his report when Oliphant walked back down the trail and sat down on his steel hat. His platoon leader saw he was depressed and came down to talk to him. Just as the sergeant was in front of Oliphant, Oliphant saw a funny device on the ground and tried to keep the sergeant from stepping on it but he was to late. When it exploded it knocked Oliphant back about 15 or 20 feet. he sat down and listened to the platoon leader call for the chopper to pick them up. Oliphant and the squad leader were helped to the field and onto the chopper and flown to the hospital at Chu Lai. At a bedside ceremony in the Chu Lai Hospital. Sgt. Oliphant was presented four medals by the Division Commander, the Battalion Commander and the Company Commander. The Army Commendation medal was awarded for support performance from November 18 to December 12, the day he was wounded. The Bronze Star was given for risking his life to help the wounded members of his unit. The Silver Star was for meritorious action in trying to save his platoon leader, and the Purple Heart was for his injuries. His battalion gave him a Braille watch at the ceremony.
A special thank you to Candice for sponsoring this memorial.
The sergeant related the following account of the happenings to his family: On the 12th day of December at 8 am he was sent out with 13 other men on a search and destroy mission. They had moved about 800 yards when they located two huts and bunkers on the side of a hill.They then moved up a trail to check the huts. The point man walked over two trip wires to booby traps. The second man hit the second wire setting off the trap and wounded him in both legs and the point man in one leg. There were two booby traps between Sgt. Oliphant and the injured men that he didn't know were there. He ran to the injured to help and give them first aid and called for a helicopter to rescue the wounded. He and the others cut down two trees and made seven foot poles. He and eight men took their shirts off and made a stretcher to move the wounded out of the field to the chopper. Within 15 minutes they were in the chopper and on their way to the hospital. The sergeant moved his squad back away from the trap area, made radio contact with his patrol leader and told him their position and what had happened. He instructed him to remain in the present position until he could get there. It was about a hour and 15 minutes until the other squad got to them. They set up a defensive perimeter with his squad. Sgt. Oliphant, the platoon leader, the platoon sergeant, second sergeant and Kit Carson scout, which is a Viet,moved back into the area where the two men were hit. When they got to where the two were wounded, they discovered they were in the middle of a bobby trap area. They disarmed six traps and moved on up to the huts and found explosives which are used to make bobby traps, blasting caps and powder. They burned the huts and moved back down to where the bobby traps were. The platoon leader was calling in his report when Oliphant walked back down the trail and sat down on his steel hat. His platoon leader saw he was depressed and came down to talk to him. Just as the sergeant was in front of Oliphant, Oliphant saw a funny device on the ground and tried to keep the sergeant from stepping on it but he was to late. When it exploded it knocked Oliphant back about 15 or 20 feet. he sat down and listened to the platoon leader call for the chopper to pick them up. Oliphant and the squad leader were helped to the field and onto the chopper and flown to the hospital at Chu Lai. At a bedside ceremony in the Chu Lai Hospital. Sgt. Oliphant was presented four medals by the Division Commander, the Battalion Commander and the Company Commander. The Army Commendation medal was awarded for support performance from November 18 to December 12, the day he was wounded. The Bronze Star was given for risking his life to help the wounded members of his unit. The Silver Star was for meritorious action in trying to save his platoon leader, and the Purple Heart was for his injuries. His battalion gave him a Braille watch at the ceremony.
A special thank you to Candice for sponsoring this memorial.
