Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley Jr., A Soldier's Story
Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley Jr., A Soldier's Story
Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley Jr. was born on October 12, 1930, in Wilmington, North Carolina. His family later relocated to New York City, where he graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School.
Following graduation, Ashley enlisted in the United States Army and deployed to Korea with the 187th Regimental Combat Team during the Korean War. The 187th was an elite airborne unit, and the experience forged his reputation as a disciplined and fearless soldier.
After Korea, he volunteered for one of the most demanding assignments in the Army, Special Forces. Following rigorous selection and training, he earned the Green Beret and was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group. By the mid-1960s, Special Forces units were deeply involved in unconventional warfare operations in Vietnam, training indigenous troops and defending remote outposts along the Laotian border.
In early February 1968, during the Tet Offensive, the Special Forces camp at Lang Vei in South Vietnam came under a massive assault by North Vietnamese forces supported by tanks, one of the first large-scale armor engagements faced by U.S. Special Forces in the war.
On February 6–7, 1968, Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley Jr. repeatedly exposed himself to intense enemy fire while attempting to relieve the besieged camp. Although initially wounded, he refused to be evacuated. Determined to reach the trapped soldiers, he led five separate assaults against enemy positions, each time reorganizing and rallying his forces under heavy machine-gun, small-arms, and mortar fire.
Despite severe wounds, he continued to press forward, creating openings that enabled the rescue of surviving American personnel from Camp Lang Vei. During his final assault in the early hours of February 7, 1968, Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley Jr. was mortally wounded.
For his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
He rests at Rockfish Memorial Park in Fayetteville, North Carolina, near Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), home of the U.S. Army Special Forces.
Green Beret. Airborne veteran. Relentless under fire. Some soldiers fight until ordered to stop. Others fight until they cannot stand, and then keep going. Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley Jr. was one of the latter.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
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