Dwight W. Birdwell

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Specialist Fifth Class Dwight Wayne Birdwell (ASN: RA-15924860), United States Army, for gallantry in action. Specialist Fifth Class Birdwell distinguished himself by heroic actions on 31 January 1968, while serving with C Troop, 3d Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, in the Republic of Vietnam. When his unit moved to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, which was under an intense enemy attack, Specialist Birdwell’s tank commander was seriously wounded. Specialist Birdwell immediately took command of the vehicle and began placing effective suppressive fire on the enemy force until all of his ammunition was expended. He then retrieved an M-60 machine gun and continued to place devastating fire on the enemy until his weapon became inoperable. With complete disregard for his own safety, he then ran through the hail of enemy fire to get ammunition from other damaged vehicles and distributed it to his comrades. He then aided in the evacuation of wounded men. His valorous actions contributed immeasurably to the success of the mission. Specialist Birdwell’s personal bravery, aggressiveness, and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Headquarters, 25th Infantry Division, General Orders No. 5271 (July 22, 1968)

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star, First Oak Leaf Cluster, to Specialist Fifth Class Dwight Wayne Birdwell (ASN: RA-15924860), United States Army, for gallantry in action. Specialist Fifth Class Birdwell distinguished himself by heroic actions on 4 July 1968, while serving as a Tank Commander with C Troop, 3d Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, in the Republic of Vietnam. While on a combat operation, C Troop came under an intense hostile attack. Spotting a damaged friendly vehicle, Specialist Birdwell, with complete disregard for his own safety, exposed himself to a heavy volume of fire as he maneuvered his vehicle to the stricken APC, loaded all the wounded aboard and evacuated them to safety. Learning that a second vehicle was damaged and stranded in the killing zone, Specialist Birdwell again exposed himself to the withering hostile fire as he evacuated the crew of the besieged truck. His valorous actions contributed immeasurably to the defeat of the enemy force and success of the mission. Specialist Birdwell’s personal bravery, aggressiveness, and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, the 25th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.