 PFC
MICHAEL D. PAONESSA
February 5, 1947
- October 19, 1968
Akron, OH
United States Army
On 18 Oct 1968 the "Doughboys"
of D Troop, 3/5 Cavalry, conducted an air assault in
Dinh Tuong Province. As the infantrymen moved toward a
tree line they came under enemy fire, wounding SP4
Ronald M. Delph. Although two others exposed themselves
to pull Delph to safety, Delph was hit again and killed
and the unit's radio operator was hit in the chest. As
medic PFC Wayne J. Benes was working on the RTO he was
hit and mortally wounded.
A D Troop UH-1D (tail number 66-16480) came into the hot
area to pick up the wounded infantrymen. The UH-1 made a
successful pick up but was hit and brought down by small
arms and RPG fire while lifting out of the zone. PFC
Paonessa, who was aboard as a radio liaison with the
ground troops, was trapped beneath the downed aircraft
and inundated with JP-4 jet fuel. Although brute force
(reportedly by 20 men) lifted the helicopter enough to
remove Paonessa and he was medevaced to a base hospital,
he had inhaled enough of the JP-4 to cause fatal damage
to his lungs and he died of his injuries the next day,
19 October 1968.
In addition to the Distinguished
Service Cross, PFC Paonessa was also the recipient of
two other awards for unusual valor, the Bronze Star and
the Purple Heart.
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DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS |
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Reason: For extraordinary
heroism in connection with military operations
involving conflict with an armed hostile force
in the Republic of Vietnam: Private First Class
Paonessa distinguished himself by exceptionally
valorous actions on 18 October 1968 while
serving as a radio operator on a reconnaissance
in force mission west of Cai Lay. His platoon
suddenly came under intense fire from a large
and well entrenched Viet Cong force. Unmindful
of his own safety, Private Paonessa remained
exposed to the fusillade, returning fire and
using his radio to relay information to the
command helicopter, When one of the squad
leaders was severely wounded, h6 called for a
rescue aircraft and further exposed himself to
the barrage of hostile fire to direct the ship
with hand signals. As the helicopter landed, the
communists began a rocket and mortar attack.
Completely ignoring the rounds bursting all
around him, he provided suppressive fire while
the casualties were loaded. As the craft lifted
off it was hit by an enemy rocket. Seeing, that
.the ship was falling toward the platoon leader,
Private Paonessa pushed him to safety, but was
himself pinned by the wreckage. He realized that
another aircraft would be needed to free him.
and demanded that the rest of his platoon pull
back while he covered the withdrawal. Although
he was severely wounded, he kept the Viet Cong
away from the helicopter until a rescue party
was able to reach him. He was taken to a
hospital where he
died from his injuries. Private First Class
Paonessa's extraordinary heroism and devotion to
duty, at the cost of his life,
were in keeping with the highest traditions of
the military service and reflect great credit
upon himself, his unit, and the
United States Army. |
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