____________________________________________________________________
Special Operations Association member Patrick N. Watkins will receive the Distinguished Service Cross on May 22 stemming from combat actions at FOB 4 Da Nang on August 23, 1968 during a coordinated NVA/VC sapper attack at the Command and Control North base which left 16 Green Berets killed in action - the single, highest toll in Special Forces history.
Pat served three tours of duty with MACV-SOG, all running recon or flying Covey over teams on the ground in the Prairie Fire, Daniel Boone or Nickel Steel targets.
Pat also had the unique distinction of being one of the few teams in C&C history where an NVA soldier asked one of the recon team members to pull guard duty. Pat was a Staff Sgt. One-Zero of RT Lion at that time. The team was settled in for the night while observing enemy truck & tank traffic in the notorious Oscar-8 target. It's difficult to imagine being so close to the enemy that an enemy soldier inadvertently asks a recon team member to pull guard duty.
Pat is the consummate Green Beret.
He will receive the Distinguished Service Cross at 3 p.m., May 22, in the Liberty Chapel of the 7th SFG (A) building at 4545 Memorial Loop, Eglin AFB, FL 32542.
The ceremony will be followed by a reception at the Magnolia Grill, 157 Brooks Street SE, Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548
The point of contact for this event is Neil Thorne, who has worked with Master Sgt. Pat Watkins on coordinating this event. His e-mail address is: nthorne73@yahoo.com.
Please join me in saluting Pat for an award that he so rightly earned through combat actions Aug. 23, 1968 at FOB 4.
Respectfully,
John S. Meyer
President - SOA
_______________________________________________________________________
Submitted by cpttri
Special Operations Association member Patrick N. Watkins will receive the Distinguished Service Cross on May 22 stemming from combat actions at FOB 4 Da Nang on August 23, 1968 during a coordinated NVA/VC sapper attack at the Command and Control North base which left 16 Green Berets killed in action - the single, highest toll in Special Forces history.
Pat served three tours of duty with MACV-SOG, all running recon or flying Covey over teams on the ground in the Prairie Fire, Daniel Boone or Nickel Steel targets.
Pat also had the unique distinction of being one of the few teams in C&C history where an NVA soldier asked one of the recon team members to pull guard duty. Pat was a Staff Sgt. One-Zero of RT Lion at that time. The team was settled in for the night while observing enemy truck & tank traffic in the notorious Oscar-8 target. It's difficult to imagine being so close to the enemy that an enemy soldier inadvertently asks a recon team member to pull guard duty.
Pat is the consummate Green Beret.
He will receive the Distinguished Service Cross at 3 p.m., May 22, in the Liberty Chapel of the 7th SFG (A) building at 4545 Memorial Loop, Eglin AFB, FL 32542.
The ceremony will be followed by a reception at the Magnolia Grill, 157 Brooks Street SE, Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548
The point of contact for this event is Neil Thorne, who has worked with Master Sgt. Pat Watkins on coordinating this event. His e-mail address is: nthorne73@yahoo.com.
Please join me in saluting Pat for an award that he so rightly earned through combat actions Aug. 23, 1968 at FOB 4.
Respectfully,
John S. Meyer
President - SOA
_______________________________________________________________________
Submitted by cpttri
