David Paul Nash (November 3, 1948 – December 29, 1968) was a

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 ...

soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—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. ...

—for his actions in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Biography

David Paul Nash, known as "Paulie" to his friends, was the son of Ishmael Worth Nash (1915–1980) and Mary Stella Nash ''née'' Howard (born 1925) and had six brothers and one sister. David Paul Nash was "a typical country boy who loved to fish and hunt, was not afraid of hard work, and raised a tobacco crop with his older brother ... was a member of St. Mary's of the Woods Catholic Church, where he was an altar boy ... after schooling at St. Mary's High School, was drafted into the United States Army and ... had no second thoughts about serving his country in Vietnam; he expressed to friends and family that it was the right thing to do ...".Google search for bill
/ref> Nash joined the Army from

Whitesville, Kentucky Whitesville is a home rule-class city in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 552 at the 2010 census, down from 632 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Owensboro, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city was ...

, and by December 29, 1968, was serving as a

private first class Private first class (french: Soldat de 1 classe; es, Soldado de primera) is a military rank held by junior enlisted personnel in a number of armed forces. French speaking countries In France and other French speaking countries, the rank (; ) ...

in Company B, 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. On that day, in Giao Duc District,

Dinh Tuong Province Dinh may refer to: Dinh ''pronounced "zinh" or "yinh"'' *Dinh River (Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu), river in Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu, one of five rivers named Sông Dinh in Vietnam. * núi Dinh, hills in Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu, Vietnam Đình ''pronounc ...

Republic of 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 ...

, Nash smothered the blast of an enemy-thrown

grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

with his body, sacrificing his life to protect his fellow soldiers. Nash, aged 20 at his death, was buried in Saint Mary of the Woods Cemetery in his birth city of Whitesville, Kentucky. The section of Kentucky Highway 54 which runs through Whitesville is named "The David P. 'Paulie' Nash Memorial Highway".

Medal of Honor citation

Private Nash's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Nash distinguished himself while serving as a
grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word '' grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited fr ...
with Company B, in Giao Duc District. When an
ambush An ambush is a long-established military tactics, military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbru ...
patrol of which he was a member suddenly came under intense attack before reaching its destination, he was the first to return the enemy fire. Taking an exposed location, Pfc. Nash suppressed the hostile fusillade with a rapid series of rounds from his grenade launcher, enabling artillery fire to be adjusted on the enemy. After the foe had been routed, his small element continued to the ambush site where he established a position with 3 fellow soldiers on a narrow dike. Shortly past midnight, while Pfc. Nash and a comrade kept watch and the 2 other men took their turn sleeping, an enemy grenade wounded 2 soldiers in the adjacent position. Seconds later, Pfc. Nash saw another grenade land only a few feet from his own position. Although he could have escaped harm by rolling down the other side of the dike, he shouted a warning to his comrades and leaped upon the lethal explosive. Absorbing the blast with his body, he saved the lives of the 3 men in the area at the sacrifice of his life. By his gallantry at the cost of his life are in the highest traditions of the military service, Pfc. Nash has reflected great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

Notes

References

: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nash, David P. 1948 births 1968 deaths Year of birth uncertain American military personnel killed in the Vietnam War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Daviess County, Kentucky United States Army soldiers Vietnam War recipients of the Medal of Honor Deaths by hand grenade United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

References