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Vietnam War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Captain Kern W. Dunagan, US Army
CITATION:
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Army, Company A, 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry, Americal Division. Place and date: Quang Tin Province, Republic of Vietnam, 13 May 1969. Entered service at: Los Angeles, Calif. Born: 20 February 1934, Superior, Ariz. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Maj. (then Capt.) Dunagan distinguished himself during the period May 13 and 14, 1969, while serving as commanding officer, Company A. On May 13, 1969, Maj. Dunagan was leading an attack to relieve pressure on the battalion's forward support base when his company came under intense fire from a well-entrenched enemy battalion. Despite continuous hostile fire from a numerically superior force, Maj. Dunagan repeatedly and fearlessly exposed himself in order to locate enemy positions, direct friendly supporting artillery, and position the men of his company. In the early evening, while directing an element of his unit into perimeter guard, he was seriously wounded during an enemy mortar attack, but he refused to leave the battlefield and continued to supervise the evacuation of dead and wounded and to lead his command in the difficult task of disengaging from an aggressive enemy. In spite of painful wounds and extreme fatigue, Maj. Dunagan risked heavy fire on 2 occasions to rescue critically wounded men. He was again seriously wounded. Undaunted, he continued to display outstanding courage, professional competence, and leadership and successfully extricated his command from its untenable position on the evening of May 14. Having maneuvered his command into contact with an adjacent friendly unit, he learned that a 6-man party from his company was under fire and had not reached the new perimeter. Maj. Dunagan unhesitatingly went back and searched for his men. Finding 1 soldier critically wounded, Maj. Dunagan, ignoring his wounds, lifted the man to his shoulders and carried him to the comparative safety of the friendly perimeter. Before permitting himself to be evacuated, he insured all of his wounded received emergency treatment and were removed from the area. Throughout the engagement, Maj. Dunagan's actions gave great inspiration to his men and were directly responsible for saving the lives of many of his fellow soldiers. Maj. Dunagan's extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty, are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
By Darcy Ellis
Editor
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
In 1951, he was one of about two dozen young, fresh faces products of their upbringings in rural Bishop and ready to take on the world. Handsome, a natural-born leader, polite and intelligent, Kern Hudson, as he was known then, was destined for greater things.
Yet more than 52 years after graduating from Bishop Union High School, Kern's accomplishments unmatched by any Owens Valley alumnus before his time or since went largely unrecognized, his name barely sparking the faintest flicker of recognition in the community's collective memory.
Indeed, had it not been for a twist of fate, a call to action and a fervent response, Col. Kern W. Hudson Dunagan the only Inyo County grad to have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor likely would have faded into the arena of faintly remembered old-timers.
But not only have his fellow Class of '51 alumni worked to ensure that never happens, they have striven to remind society that sacrifice by any veteran no matter how great or how small is something that should never be forgotten.
Their testament to that assertion, and to Dunagan's heroic exploits in the Vietnam War which earned him the highest honor the U.S. Armed Forces bestows upon its soldiers, will, appropriately enough, be dedicated on Nov. 11, Veterans Day.
At 10:45 a.m., classmates, family members, veterans, residents, visitors and dignitaries will gather at the entrance to Bishop City Park to dedicate the monument erected in Dunagan's honor earlier this fall. The memorial includes a lighted flag pole that stands guard over a 5.5-ton dolomite boulder, embedded with bronze plaque engraved with the text of Dunagan's Congressional citation and a bas relief portrait of Dunagan wearing his medal.
The monument, which so far has cost the Col. Kern W. Hudson Dunagan Memorial Committee about $15,000 (most of it coming from donations from the community), is a far cry from the small plaque inside the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in Bishop that, up until now, was the only reminder of Dunagan and his heroism.
It was that plaque which caught newspaper columnist Howard Frost's eye in early 2003, prompting the former Inyo Register sports editor to call for a more fitting tribute for such a worthy figure.
Though non-descript, and easily overlooked, the plaque told the story of a man whose bravery saved the lives of his fellow soldiers amidst heavy enemy fire, at great risk to his own life.
Dunagan, the plaque explains, was an Army captain serving in Vietnam when he earned the Congressional Medal of Honor, which was presented to him by President Richard M. Nixon.
He earned the honor while leading his troops into battle in 1969. His command enduring a two-day assault by the enemy, Dunagan exposed himself to enemy fire numerous times while aligning his men even refusing to leave the position after being wounded by a mortar shell. While disengaging from the enemy, Dunagan braved heavy fire to rescue two of his men and was wounded again.
Once his troops had pulled back to a relatively safe position, Dunagan went back into the line of fire to find six missing men. Despite his wounds, he carried one wounded man while guiding the rest of the group back to safety.
For displaying 'extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty,' Dunagan was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest combat medal any member of the U.S. military can attain.
After the Vietnam War, Dunagan remained in the Army, eventually retiring with the rank of colonel after a 28-year career.
He died at the age of 57 and is buried at the Presidio National Cemetery in San Francisco.
Frost's call for a tribute to Dunagan was not only answered, but responded to with all the volume of a megaphone. The effort, explained Class of '51 graduate Shirley Rae Whorff Fendon, was spearheaded by one man and embraced wholeheartedly by hundreds.
'Myrlin Carr, a fellow classmate, felt that honoring Kern was long overdue, and began to talk with other classmates about building a proper and fitting memorial to Kern's heroism and memory,' she said. 'Thus began not only the Class of 1951's effort, but an effort that brought in our whole community so many of you rallied to our dream and helped it become a reality.'
Guiding the memorial from an idea to fruition meant not only clearing considerable financial hurdles, but also cooperative efforts with City of Bishop officials, approval from the City Council to place the monument where it currently stands and procuring the services and materials of local merchants and craftsmen in constructing the memorial.
It also meant, of course, the heartfelt desire of all involved to not only honor Dunagan now and in the future, but to make up for any past oversights.
And so it was on Sept. 4 of this year that Fendon, Carr and other Class of '51 grads found themselves, on the occasion of their 53rd class reunion, gathered at the foot of the memorial to reminisce about Dunagan and pay tribute to his sacrifice.
'Because Kern was our classmate, we thought it only proper that we gather at his monument to pay our respects,' Fendon explained.
And on Nov. 11, they will gather again, in what committee members assure well-wishers will be an even more poignant celebration, a remembrance of a man who went above and beyond the call of duty decades ago.
'We hope in some way this (memorial) will be a testimonial of our gratitude to him and all veterans for their courage and bravery that have contributed to freedom for us all,' Fendon said.
2004
 Grave of Col. Wayne W. Dunagan US Army at San Francisco Nat. Cemetery location
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