The President of the United States, takes pride in presenting the NAVY CROSS posthumously to:
HOSPITALMAN SAMUEL G. ORLANDO
UNITED STATES NAVY
for service as set forth in the following:
CITATION:
For extraordinary heroism on 4 March, 1966 while serving as Corpsman in Company "H", Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, during Operation UTAH in the Republic of Vietnam.
More below the fold...
Upon learning that additional Corpsmen were needed when one of the platoons of his company was particularly hard hit by automatic weapons and heavy mortar fire and was sustaining heavy casualties, Orlando unhesitatingly left his position of relative safety and moved across a barren hill in the face of intense fire to the wounded Marines.
Exercising outstanding professional skill and resourcefulness, he dressed many wounds and helped evacuate casualties, making several daring trips across the fire-swept area. During one of these trips, when he heard a call for more machine-gun ammunition, he quickly acquired the necessary rounds and carried them to the machine-gun position which was in critically short supply.
Hearing the cries of a wounded Marine during an ensuing enemy counter-attack, Orlando crawled forward in a courageous attempt to render aid, but was mortally wounded by enemy fire at the moment he reached his objective.
In sacrificing his own life while saving the lives of many of his comrades, Orlando displayed the highest degree of courage and self-sacrifice. His heroic and inspiring efforts were in keeping the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
I just posted the below entry as a tribute to Sam at the Virtual Wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund website "The Virtual Wall". It should show up in a few days after it is approved.
Sam Orlando and I were fellow corpsman and barracks-mates at the Oakland, California Naval Hospital in 1964-5 (although we did not work in the same department). Sam, Marti, John, Dave Cain and I hung out together, occasionally going to Berkeley, San Francisco or Santa Cruz on weekends, just having fun. This was the time when the Viet Nam War was ramping up, and every month, a few of the guys received orders to report to the Fleet Marine Force for duty as field corpsmen.
Sam was not a fighter or a mean person, but rather a guy who I remember as always being in a good mood and ready to have fun. However, he just couldn’t manage to stay out of trouble and keep his promotions. By the time I made it to E5 - a Second Class Petty Officer or HM2, Sam was back down to Hospital Apprentice (E2 – the level you get for completing boot camp). It is obvious that in spite of his difficulty in advancing in rank, Sam the kind of man most service members hope they could be in the heat of battle. While I helped take care of wounded Marines in the complete safety of a stateside hospital, Sam took care of the Marines on the field of battle. Word came back to the hospital in the spring of 1966 that Sam had been killed in action, bringing tears to the eyes of those of us who had known him.
I went on with my life, leaving the Navy in December of 1966. A couple of years ago, I decided to Google some old friends from the past, and found Sam’s record, and that he had been awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest American military award for heroism.
I salute you, Sam, and I think of you every Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day – I am proud to have been your friend for that brief time when our paths crossed in 1964-5. When I meet older Marines, and they find out I was a corpsman, they greet me as a friend, not a stranger. I know that the level of respect Marines have for Navy Corpsmen is not because of what I did, but what you and your fellow field corpsmen do when you risk your lives to help them in the midst of battle.
As we leave the warmongering administration of George W. Bush and the Neocons behind, do not assume that there are no dangers of war ahead. Just as President Lyndon Johnson thought the escalation of the Vietnam War would bring it to an end, President-elect Barack Obama is facing a similar situation in Afghanistan. I have little doubt that Obama will get most of our troops out of Iraq, but Afghanistan looms as a big question mark. The current "wisdom" seems to demand a greater military presence in Afghanistan, but the "remote" killing of civilians seems to be escalating, and is increasing tensions there.
I have no idea where this will all end up, but I hope and pray that there will be sufficient intelligence and wisdom applied to make sure there are no more than the minimum necessary sacrifices like those of my old friend Sam on the battlefield.