Apr. 26, 1964 - First Lieutenant Ronald Hines (pictured) of Middletown, N.J., died early today trying to save the life of a wounded Vietnamese Army captain during a flareup of fighting around battle-scarred Kien Long in the southern tip of South Vietnam.
Lieutenant Hines and a Captain Pam served together during the eight months the lieutenant had been in Vietnam. He was the captain’s United States military adviser.
Captain Pam, wounded in the knee by a Communist guerrilla’s bullet, survived. Lieutenant Hines, who had dragged him into a foxhole and then helped carry him back to their armored personnel carrier under fire, was fatally wounded in the chest a yard from the carrier.
The 25-year-old American was posthumously awarded the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with palm cluster and the National Order, the highest Vietnamese decoration for valor. He has also been recommended for a silver star.
He is survived by his wife and two small children.
Kien Long was the scene of a bitter four-day battle two weeks ago in which over 300 Government troops were killed or wounded along with a similar number of guerrillas. An American helicopter gunner was shot dead by Viet Cong ground fire as he was escorting Vietnamese troops into that action.
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