Donald W. Evans Jr.

He crossed open ground to save men under deadly enemy fires.

Donald Ward Evans Jr. was an Army medical aidman whose determination to reach wounded soldiers cost him his life in Vietnam. Born in Covina, California, on 23 July 1943, he entered the Army in 1965. He served as a specialist four with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry.

On 27 January 1967, north of Tri Tam, another platoon came under heavy attack. Evans left his own relatively protected position and crossed about 100 metres of open ground under fire to give treatment. He moved among the wounded, then dragged a seriously injured man back to safety and returned to the exposed position.

Grenade fragments wounded him, but he evacuated another casualty and continued treating men as his own platoon joined the fighting. Wounded again during another evacuation, he refused to remain behind. Weakened by blood loss, he nevertheless brought another soldier across the open ground. He was killed while treating a further casualty.

His posthumous Medal of Honor recognized medical courage sustained through repeated wounds and repeated opportunities to withdraw. Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson bears his name, connecting the care he gave under fire with the continuing work of Army medicine.