A Soldier's Story: Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley Jr.

Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley Jr was born on October 12, 1930, in Wilmington, North Carolina. His family moved to New York City, and he graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School.

After graduation, Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley joined the U.S. Army and deployed to Korea for the Korean War with the 187th Regimental Combat Team. After his deployment, he was accepted (after rigorous training) into the newly created Army Special Forces "Green Berets."

Assigned to the 5th Special Forces during the Vietnam War, Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley deployed to Vietnam and earned a Congressional Medal of Honor during the Battle of Lang Vei. During an assault to rescue American troops and create openings for continued attacks, Sergeant First Class Ashley led five charges, making enough of a gap to allow the rescue of the survivors of Camp Lang Vei. On February 7, 1968, he died of his wounds and rests at Rockfish Memorial Park in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to the travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

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