David George Ouellet

On the evening of 6 March 1967, an enemy grenade fell aboard River Patrol Boat PBR-124 as it raced along the Mekong River in South Vietnam. Seaman David George Ouellet had only seconds to react. Instead of seeking cover, he ran the length of the speeding boat warning his shipmates, pushed his exposed boat captain to safety, and then placed himself between the grenade and the men around him. The explosion mortally wounded Ouellet, but his actions shielded his fellow sailors from much of the blast. At just 22 years old, the U.S. Navy seaman gave his life for his crew and became one of the Vietnam War's most powerful examples of self-sacrifice. His actions resulted in the posthumous award of the Medal of Honor , the United States' highest military decoration for valor.

David George Ouellet was born on 13 June 1944 in Newton, Massachusetts , the son of Chester J. and Elizabeth E. Ouellet, and grew up in nearby Wellesley. After finishing school, he enlisted in the United States Navy at Boston on 28 July 1964 . Following his initial naval training, Ouellet joined Assault Craft Division Twelve . During 1965 he served for five months in the Vietnam area, gaining his first experience in the conflict that would ultimately define his naval service. His enlistment, early service, and Vietnam duty are recorded in contemporary Congressional material and the official Naval History and Heritage Command history of the sailor for whom USS Ouellet would later be named.

His path back to Vietnam became more specialized in 1966. Between June and August, Ouellet underwent river patrol boat training at the Naval Schools Command in Vallejo, California, followed by additional preparation at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. On 21 September 1966 , he reported to River Squadron Five and was attached to My Tho Detachment 532 , operating as part of the Navy's riverine force in the Mekong Delta. These small Patrol Boat, River craft, commonly known as PBRs, took their crews into waterways where ambushes, mines, grenades, and close-range enemy fire were constant threats.

On 6 March 1967, Ouellet was serving as the forward machine gunner aboard PBR-124 during an early evening patrol on the Mekong River. When he noticed suspicious activity near the riverbank, he alerted the boat captain and recommended that the patrol investigate. During a high-speed run along the bank, Ouellet spotted an enemy grenade falling toward the boat. His Medal of Honor citation records that he immediately abandoned the protection of his gun mount, ran aft while shouting for his shipmates to take cover, and saw that the boat captain remained dangerously exposed. Ouellet climbed onto the engine compartment cover and pushed the captain down to safety. In the instant before the grenade exploded, he deliberately positioned himself between the explosive and his crew, absorbing most of the fragmentation with his own body. The official citation praised his "extraordinary heroism" and his selfless actions on behalf of his comrades.

Ouellet did not survive his wounds. His Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously, and on 30 January 1968 Secretary of the Navy Paul R. Ignatius presented the medal to Ouellet's family at the Pentagon. The decoration recognized what the citation described as gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. His service was also recognized by the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions First Class Unit Citation, and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal . The U.S. Navy Memorial independently records his principal individual and campaign awards, while Navy regulations authorized the two Republic of Vietnam unit citations for qualifying Navy personnel who served in-country during the applicable periods.

The Navy Presidential Unit Citation carried particular significance for the river force with which Ouellet served. President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded the citation to the Delta River Patrol Group, Task Group 116.1 , for exceptionally meritorious and heroic service from 9 May 1966 through 30 June 1967. The presidential citation described the group's repeated close-range encounters with Viet Cong forces and its struggle to regain control of the waterways of the Mekong Delta. Ouellet's service with River Squadron Five and My Tho Detachment 532, including his final patrol in March 1967, fell within that extraordinary period of riverine combat.

The Navy ensured that David Ouellet's name would continue at sea. The USS Ouellet , originally designated DE-1077 and later FF-1077 , was commissioned on 12 December 1970. The ship carried the name of the young seaman whose final act aboard PBR-124 embodied the principle that a sailor's responsibility to his shipmates can become greater than concern for his own survival. Ouellet is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Wellesley, Massachusetts, but his legacy reaches far beyond his hometown. His story remains inseparable from the history of U.S. Navy riverine warfare in Vietnam and from the meaning of the Medal of Honor itself: courage measured not by survival, but by the lives a person is willing to protect at the cost of his own.