Dale Eugene Wayrynen

Dale Eugene Wayrynen: The Vietnam War Paratrooper Who Gave His Life to Save His Squad

On 18 May 1967, in the darkness near Đức Phổ, South Vietnam, Specialist Fourth Class Dale Eugene Wayrynen made a split-second decision that saved fellow American soldiers at the cost of his own life. His extraordinary courage during a nighttime casualty evacuation earned him the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration, awarded posthumously.

Born on 18 January 1947 in Moose Lake, Minnesota, Wayrynen grew up in the McGregor area. He entered the U.S. Army in 1965, served with the 82nd Airborne Division and volunteered for service in Vietnam in 1967. There he joined Company B, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.

During Operation Malheur, his platoon was assisting with the evacuation of wounded soldiers when enemy troops opened fire from fortified positions. The point man fell wounded. Wayrynen moved forward, killed an enemy soldier who appeared on the trail and dragged his injured comrade back toward cover.

Moments later, an enemy grenade landed among the assembled soldiers. Recognizing the immediate danger, Wayrynen shouted a warning, pushed another soldier clear and threw himself onto the grenade as it exploded. He was mortally wounded, but his action preserved the lives of comrades nearby.

On 16 October 1969, President Richard Nixon presented Wayrynen's posthumous Medal of Honor to his family at the White House. His sacrifice remains a defining example of courage and selflessness during the Vietnam War.

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Wayrynen distinguished himself with Company B, during combat operations near Duc Pho. His platoon was assisting in the night evacuation of the wounded from an early enemy contact when the leadman of the unit met face to face with a Viet Cong soldier. The American's shouted warning also alerted the enemy who immediately swept the area with automatic-weapons fire from a strongly built bunker close to the trail and threw hand grenades from another nearby fortified position. Almost immediately, the leadman was wounded and knocked from his feet. Sp4c. Wayrynen, the second man in the formation, leaped beyond his fallen comrade to kill another enemy soldier who appeared on the trail, and he dragged his injured companion back to where the point squad had taken cover. Suddenly, a live enemy grenade landed in the center of the tightly grouped men. Sp4c. Wayrynen, quickly assessing the danger to the entire squad as well as to his platoon leader who was nearby, shouted a warning, pushed one soldier out of the way, and threw himself on the grenade at the moment it exploded. He was mortally wounded. His deep and abiding concern for his fellow soldiers was significantly reflected in his supreme and courageous act that preserved the lives of his comrades. Sp4c. Wayrynen's heroic actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of the service, and they reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.