VIETNAM - BRANDON, JESSE L

Brandon, Jesse L

VIETNAM - BRANDON, JESSE L
BRANDON, JESSE L

Rank: Specialist 4

Unit: A Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment

MOS: 11B – Infantryman

Awards: Silver Star, Purple Heart Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Badges: Combat Infantryman Badge

Unit awards: Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm device

Enlisted by: Selected Service

Date of birth: 24-Aug-1946

Hometown: Oxford, North Carolina

Marital status: Married to Gladys M. Brandon, one child

Campaign: Vietnam Conflict

Entered service: 1-Dec-1965

Start of tour: 24-Aug-1966

Incident date: 26-Feb-1967

Date of casualty: 1-Mar-1967

Age at death: 20

Cause of death: Hostile, died of wounds. Unknown. Misadventure.
Jesse L. Brandon was on a combat operation when hit by fragments from friendly bomb during an air strike on 26 Feb 1967.

Five Blackhorse troopers died as a result of this incident
SP4 Jesse L. Brandon
SGT Johnny Edward Brumley
SP4 Rodger Dale Lewis
SP4 Harry Mathis Jr
PVT Carlos Medina

Location of fatality: Tay Ninh, South Vietnam

Place of interment: Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, Oxford, North Carolina, USA

View this soldier‘s Find a Grave page (opens in a new window)

Vietnam Veterans Memorial panel and row: 15E 125 (view Vietnam Veterans Memorial link in a new window)

 

SILVER STAR

SILVER STAR
POSTHUMOUS

SPECIALIST FOUR JESSE L. BRANDON
A TROOP, 1st SQUADRON
11TH ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT

Specialist Four Brandon distinguished himself for gallantry in action against a hostile force on 26 February 1967 while assigned to Troop A, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in the Republic of Vietnam. On this date, Specialist Brandon was serving as the point man of a combat patrol. As the patrol was advancing into the jungle along a suspected Viet Cong tail, Specialist Brandon alerted the patrol of the possibility of an ambush. Moving forward, he forced the Viet Cong prematurely to open fire form their automatic weapons emplacement. Realizing that the remainder of the patrol was unable to bring effective fire on the bunker, he immediately exposed himself, returning fire with his rifle and directing the fire of the point element. When his own weapon malfunctioned, he ran through the line of enemy fire, secured a weapon from a fallen comrade, and resumed an intense rate of fire on the enemy position. Only when he expended all his ammunition did he withdraw from his exposed position. While covering the movement of the remainder of his patrol, he observed an aidman attempting to evacuate a wounded man from the battlefield. Reacting instantly, he moved through enemy fire to assist him. Specialist Brandon continued to distinguish himself until he was mortally wounded. His exceptional heroism in close combat against a fanatical enemy was in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Headquarters, II Field Force Vietnam, General Orders No. 509 (April 3, 1967)