Frank Aloysious Herda (September 13, 1947 – October 13, 2023) 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 ...

Military career

Herda joined the

from his birth city of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, and by June 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 A, 1st Battalion (Airborne),

506th Infantry Regiment The 506th Infantry Regiment, originally designated the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (506th PIR) during World War II, is an airborne light infantry regiment of the United States Army. Currently a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regiment ...

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 ...

(Airmobile). During an enemy attack on that day, near

Dak To DAK is the Deutsches Afrika Korps, a German World War II unit. DAK, Dak, dak, or ''variation'', may also refer to: Places * Dak, Kerman, Kerman Province, Iran * Dak, Sistan and Baluchestan, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran * Dakhla Oasis Ai ...

in Kon Tum Province,

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 ...

, Herda smothered the blast of an enemy-thrown

hand 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 to protect those around him. He survived the blast, although severely wounded, and was subsequently promoted to

specialist four Specialist is a military rank in some countries’ armed forces. Two branches of the United States Armed Forces use the rank. It is one of the four junior enlisted ranks in the United States Army, above private (PVT), private (PV2), and private ...

and awarded the

for his actions. Herda published the sword and sorcery novel, ''The Cup of Death: Chronicles of the Dragons of the Magi'', in 2007.

Medal of Honor citation

Specialist Herda's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Death

Herda died in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 13, 2023, at the age of 76.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Herda, Frank A. 1947 births 2023 deaths United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Military personnel from Cleveland United States Army soldiers Vietnam War recipients of the Medal of Honor

Military career

Medal of Honor citation

Death

See also

References

External links