A First Sergeant of the 4th Infantry Division received the Distinguished Service Cross in Vietnam.
Abelardo Malave-Rios was born in Aibonito, Aibonito Municipality, Puerto Rico on July 2, 1929. He entered the Army in 1952 and served in the Korean War. He began his tour in Vietnam on August 10, 1967. He was assigned as the First Sergeant of Company A, 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division.
On February 27, 1968, Company A 3/12 Infantry was in a defensive position near the Battalion firebase about 10 miles west of Dak To, when their position was attacked by a Battalion of the North Vietnamese Army. The battle lasted all day and into the night. Private First Class Richard E. Grier, Specialist 4th Class Ruffin J. Satterwhite Jr., Sergeant First Class Kenneth S. Andrade, and First Sergeant Abelardo Malave-Rios were all killed during the fight. Twenty-seven other soldiers from Company A were wounded. Andrade and Malave-Rios were both awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for their bravery and leadership that day.
The firebase began taking mortar and automatic weapons fire that morning, which was soon followed by a ground attack. The two senior NCO's, Andrade and Malave-Rios, ran along the defensive line, directing their soldiers' fire. One of the Company's machine gun positions was hit by an enemy grenade, wounding everyone in the position. Malave-Rios moved to the position, manned the gun, and launched a withering fire upon communist soldiers assaulting the position, forcing the enemy to pull back and regroup.
He then moved around to aid wounded men, stabilized their wounds, and carried them one at a time to the medical bunker, dodging bullets and shrapnel on each trip. When Dust-off helicopters arrived that afternoon to evacuate the wounded, Malave-Rios went out into the open to guide the aircraft in. Just as the first chopper touched down, the enemy hit the landing area with mortar and machine gun fire, killing Malave-Rios.
The citation for his medal reads:
"Headquarters, U.S. Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 2886 (June 17, 1968)
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to First Sergeant Abelardo Malave-Rios (ASN: RA-50******), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company A, 3d Battalion, 12th Infantry, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.
First Sergeant Malave-Rios distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 27 February 1968 while defending against a massive attack on his unit's perimeter by a North Vietnamese Army force. His unit was guarding the battalion fire base when it was subjected to a savage ground attack. Exposing himself to the deadly automatic weapons fire, Sergeant Malave-Rios moved along the defensive perimeter shouting commands, pointing out targets and giving words of encouragement to his men.
When an exploding grenade wounded a machine gunner, he immediately moved to the weapon and poured a concentrated volume of fire into the charging enemy troops. Several well-aimed bursts of fire killed five North Vietnamese as they assaulted his position. When this enemy foray had been repelled, he moved to aid several soldiers who had been wounded. Despite constant enemy fire, he treated their wounds and made several trips to a nearby bunker, carrying a wounded man to safety each time. He continued to expose himself to the fusillade until all the wounded had been taken to the landing zone for medical evacuation.
Sergeant Malave-Rios then assumed the responsibility of guiding the arriving helicopters and prepared to load the wounded. As the first helicopter landed, the landing zone came under intense enemy fire, mortally wounding Sergeant Malave-Rios as he selflessly placed the welfare of his men above his own safety. First Sergeant Malave-Rios' extraordinary heroism and
devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army."
Abelardo Malave-Rios is buried in Cementerio Municipal del Campito, Aibonito, Aibonito Municipality, Puerto Rico. He was survived by his wife Amelia, a son and two daughters.
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