Rank: Private First Class
Unit: L Troop, 3rd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
MOS: 11B – Infantryman
Awards: Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device, Purple Heart Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Badges: Combat Infantryman Badge
Unit awards: Meritorious Unit Citation, Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm device
Enlisted by: Selected Service
Date of birth: 4-Oct-1945
Hometown: Kings Beach, California
Marital status: Never Married
Campaign: Vietnam Conflict
Start of tour: 15-Oct-1966
Incident date: 12-Jan-1967
Date of casualty: 12-Jan-1967
Age at death: 21
Cause of Death: Hostile, died. Killed In Action. Multiple fragmentation wounds . Grenade.
Four Blackhorse troopers died in this incident:
PFC John Edward Busch
SGT Angus N. Jackson
SP4 Rene Reynoso
PFC Sander Chris Sanderson
Location of fatality: Binh Duong, South Vietnam
Place of interment: Trails End Cemetery, Tahoe City, California, USA
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BRONZE STAR MEDAL
WITH VALOR DEVICE
POSTHUMOUS
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS SANDER CHRIS SANDERSON
12 JANUARY 1967
L TROOP, 3rd SQUADRON
11TH ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT
Private First Class Sanderson distinguished himself by heroism in connection with military operations against an armed hostile force on January 12 1967 while serving with Troop L, 3d Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in the Republic of Vietnam. On this date, Private Sanderson was a member of a patrol on a search and destroy operation in the vicinity of the Iron Triangle. Private Sanderson was situated at the forward point of a patrol which was moving into a recently discovered bunker / tunnel complex when the patrol was suddenly ambushed by intense Viet Cong automatic weapons and small arms fire from approximately fifteen meters away. Disregarding his own personal safety, Private Sanderson made no effort to take cover from the hostile force, but bravely returned fire on the well-fortified enemy positions in an effort to cover the remainder of the patrol. While valiantly holding his position, two Viet Cong claymore mines were detonated nearby. Private First Class Sanderson valorous actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
Headquarters, II Field Force Vietnam General Orders No. 421 (22 March 1967)