Andre Cavaro Lucas (October 2, 1930 – July 23, 1970) was killed in action while serving as the commanding officer, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry,

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, at Fire Support Base Ripcord in Thua Thien Province,

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

. He received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

for extraordinary heroism during the last 23 days of his life.

Early life and education

Lucas was born in Washington D.C. His father William was a career Army officer who had fought in France during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. His mother Suzanne had been born in France and she sent him to her home town there to receive his secondary education. Lucas enlisted in the Army on June 30, 1948 and was assigned to the same company in the

26th Infantry Regiment The 26th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. Its nickname is "Blue Spaders", taken from the spade-like device on the regiment's distinctive unit insignia. The 26th Infantry Regiment is part of the U.S. Army Re ...

that his father had commanded during the World War I. He received an at-large presidential appointment to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

, graduating with a B.S. degree in 1954. After receiving his Army commission, he attended the Infantry, Ranger and Airborne Schools. Lucas later graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College at

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

in 1965 and ''L'École d'état-major'' (the French Staff Academy) in Paris in 1966.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, 2d Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. place and date: Fire Support Base Ripcord, Republic of Vietnam, 1 to July 23, 1970. Entered service at: West Point, N.Y. Born: October 2, 1930, Washington D.C. Citation:

In memory

* LTC Lucas' name can be found on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial ("The Wall") on Panel 08W – Row 046. * The Andre Lucas Elementary School in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky is named in honor of LTC Lucas. * * A recent tribute to Lucas by his West Point classmate

William E. Odom William Eldridge Odom (June 23, 1932 – May 30, 2008) was a United States Army lieutenant general who served as Director of the National Security Agency under President Ronald Reagan, which culminated a 31-year career in military intelligence, ma ...

was published in TAPS, May/June 2005. Odom also dedicated his 1992 book ''On Internal War'' to Lucas.

Personal

Lucas was the son of William Edward Lucas Jr. and Suzanne Provost. His father received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

in 1914. He was commissioned in 1916 and received three Silver Stars and two Purple Hearts for his World War I combat service. His parents were buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. Lucas married Madeleine Mae Miller, who was also fluent in French because of Swiss-French parentage. They had two sons. Lucas and his wife were interred at the West Point Cemetery.

Notes

References

* "Ripcord: Screaming Eagles Under Siege, Vietnam 1970" by Keith W. Nolan, Presidio Press, 2000, * "Hell On A Hill Top: America's Last Major Battle In Vietnam" by Major General Benjamin L. Harrison, iUniverse Press (available fro
FSB Ripcord Association
* * "Siege at Firebase Ripcord", War Stories with Oliver North, Fox News Productions, product # FOX25004600 (video/DVD)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Andre 1930 births 1970 deaths People from Washington, D.C. United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Rangers United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army colonels Vietnam War recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American military personnel killed in the Vietnam War Burials at West Point Cemetery