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Vietnam War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Staff Sergeant Robert Joseph Pruden, US Army Rangers
Family donates Medal of Honor to Rangers
Pruden Hall to house its namesake's honor
BY Angelique Soenarie
Staff Writer
Marlys and Larry Pruden gave their son's greatest medal, the nation's highest military honor, a new home.
On Thursday, the couple presented Staff Sgt. Robert Pruden's Medal of Honor to the Ranger Training Brigade at Fort Benning where it will be displayed in Pruden Hall, which is named for him.
Pruden Hall houses the Ranger Hall of Fame.
"If something happened to us, I wanted it to be in a safe place forever," said Larry Pruden.
Robert Pruden, of Company G of the 75th Infantry, Americal Division, was killed in Quang Ngai Province in the Vietnam War in 1969 when he was 20 years old.
He died leading an ambush behind enemy lines. Despite being severely wounded twice by enemy fire, he continued to attack. His efforts saved the lives of his team.
For Robert Pruden's sacrifices, his family was awarded the Medal of Honor on April 22, 1971, by President Richard Nixon. He became the second Ranger to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Since then, Pruden's medal has hung next to a picture of him at the Prudens' home in Crosby, Minn.
"It's now empty. I can't believe I'm giving it up," his father said, shortly before he and his wife signed the documents donating their son's medal to the brigade.
"He said if he was going into the fight, he knew he was going in with the best," Pruden's father said. "Even when he was little, he wanted to be the leader when he was with his friends."
Before Robert Pruden served in Vietnam, he went through the Non-Commissioned Officer Indoctrination Course at Harmony Church at Fort Benning and completed the three phases of Ranger training at Fort Benning; Dahlonega, Ga.; and Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
His name was honored on the satellite STARDUST, one of NASA's comet missions this year.
Other family members came from Missouri and Georgia to witness the presentation of the family heirloom to the Rangers.
"I just didn't want to miss this," said Staff Sgt. Pruden's nephew Richard McSherry of Cherokee, Ga., as he read the history of his uncle's sacrifices in the hall that bears his name. "I never knew this was here."
CITATION:
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 75th Infantry, Americal Division. Place and date: Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam, 29 November 1969. Entered service at: Minneapolis, Minn. Born: 9 September 1949, St. Paul, Minn. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Pruden, Company G, distinguished himself while serving as a reconnaissance team leader during an ambush mission. The 6-man team was inserted by helicopter into enemy controlled territory to establish an ambush position and to obtain information concerning enemy movements. As the team moved into the preplanned area, S/Sgt. Pruden deployed his men into 2 groups on the opposite sides of a well used trail. As the groups were establishing their defensive positions, 1 member of the team was trapped in the open by the heavy fire from an enemy squad. Realizing that the ambush position had been compromised, S/Sgt. Pruden directed his team to open fire on the enemy force. Immediately, the team came under heavy fire from a second enemy element. S/Sgt. Pruden, with full knowledge of the extreme danger involved, left his concealed position and, firing as he ran, advanced toward the enemy to draw the hostile fire. He was seriously wounded twice but continued his attack until he fell for a third time, in front of the enemy positions. S/Sgt. Pruden's actions resulted in several enemy casualties and withdrawal of the remaining enemy force. Although grievously wounded, he directed his men into defensive positions and called for evacuation helicopters, which safely withdrew the members of the team. S/Sgt. Pruden's outstanding courage, selfless concern for the welfare of his men, and intrepidity in action at the cost of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
Courtesy of Find A Grave
Fort Snelling National Cemetery Minneapolis - Hennepin County - Minnesota, USA
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