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Hometown:
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Date of Casualty:

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Walter Schmidt was born on January 15, 1944. His home of record is Laurence Harbor, NJ.

He served in the US Army and attained the rank of Specialist 4 (E4).

On November 8, 1966, at the age of 22, Schmidt was killed in action in South Vietnam. He was awarded the Silver Star.

His Silver Star citation reads:
For gallantry in action against a hostile force: On November 8, 1996, Specialist Schmidt was serving on a machine gun crew for his company. The unit was participating in Operation Attleboro when it was suddenly, and violently, engaged by two Viet Cong main force regiments. As the brunt of the attack was directed against his company’s perimeter, Specialist Schmidt unhesitatingly manned his weapon and repelled numerous Viet Cong assaults. Disregarding the devastating firepower directed against him, Specialist Schmidt heroically continued firing his machine gun at the insurgents until he was mortally wounded by hostile small arms fire and hand grenades. This extraordinary courage and unwavering dedication to mission distinguishes Specialist Schmidt as a combat soldier of the highest caliber. Specialist Four Schmidt’s unquestionable valor in close combat against numerically superior hostile forces is in keeping with the finest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division and the United States Army.

Information provided by Frederick Schmidt (brother) and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024