Myron F. Diduryk (July 15, 1938 – April 24, 1970) was an American

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

Major, who played a key role as an infantry company commander in the Battle of Ia Drang, the first major battle of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by 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 Vietnam a ...

. His exploits in that battle were described by

Hal Moore Harold Gregory Moore Jr. (February 13, 1922 – February 10, 2017) was a United States Army lieutenant general and author. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. military's second-highest decoration for valor, and was the firs ...

in, ''We Were Soldiers Once and Young''. Moore said that Diduryk was, "… the finest battlefield company commander I had ever seen, bar none." Diduryk was killed in action on his second tour in Vietnam.

Early life and education

Born in Mużyłów,

Tarnopol Voivodeship Tarnopol Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo tarnopolskie) was an administrative region of interwar Poland (1918–1939), created on 23 December 1920, with an area of 16,500 km² and provincial capital in Tarnopol (now ''Ternopil'', Ukraine). The voi ...

(today Muzhyliv in

western Ukraine Western Ukraine or West Ukraine ( uk, Західна Україна, Zakhidna Ukraina or , ) is the territory of Ukraine linked to the former Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, which was part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Austria ...

), in 1938, Diduryk emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1950. His family settled in Somerville, New Jersey. After graduating from St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, New Jersey, he enrolled at Saint Peter's College in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he was a member of Company N-8 National Society of

Pershing Rifles The National Society of Pershing Rifles is a military-oriented honor society for college-level students founded in 1894 as a drill unit at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. It is the oldest continuously operating US college organization dedic ...

and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Saint Peter's and was commissioned as a Regular

Army Officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an Military, armed force or Uniformed services, uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant off ...

on June 5, 1960.

Career

Diduryk completed

Airborne School The United States Army Airborne School – widely known as Jump School – conducts the basic paratrooper (military parachutist) training for the United States Armed Forces. It is operated by the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry, Uni ...

and

Ranger School The United States Army Ranger School is a 62-day small unit tactics and leadership course that develops functional skills directly related to units whose mission is to engage the enemy in close combat and direct fire battles. Ranger training wa ...

at Fort Benning, Georgia. He served tours of duty at Fort Benning and in Germany. He was married and the father of two children. During Myron Diduryk's first tour of duty in Vietnam he served as the company commander of Bravo Company 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment,

1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

. In November 1965 he played a key role in the

Battle of the Ia Drang The Battle of Ia Drang (, ; in English ) was the first major battle between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), as part of the Pleiku Campaign conducted early in the Vietnam War, at the eastern foot of the Chu Pong M ...

, the first major battle of the Vietnam War. His exploits in that battle are described by General Hal Moore in his best-selling book, We Were Soldiers Once and Young ... in which Moore describes Diduryk as "… the finest battlefield company commander I had ever seen, bar none." Diduryk was subsequently promoted to Major and returned to Vietnam in October 1969, as the operations officer of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. On April 24, 1970, his battalion commander ordered his command helicopter to land and check out a North Vietnamese soldier who had been killed by the door gunner. As Major Diduryk emerged from his helicopter, he was fatally shot in the stomach by ambushing North Vietnamese soldiers. Diduryk is buried at Fort Benning Main Post Cemetery, Georgia. The Ukrainian American Veterans Post 30 in

South River, New Jersey South River is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 16,008,Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. There is also a paver stone dedicated in his memory at the

New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Holmdel Township, New Jersey is a monument honoring New Jersey natives who served in the Vietnam War, especially the 1,562 men and one woman who lost their lives or went missing in action. Dedicated in ...

in Holmdel, N.J.

Awards and decorations

Silver Star With Oak Leaf Cluster * Bronze Star ribbon

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

With Oak Leaf Cluster and

"V" Device A "V" device is a metal capital letter "V" with serifs which, when worn on certain decorations awarded by the United States Armed Forces, distinguishes an award for heroism or valor in combat instead of for meritorious service or achievement. ...

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

23rd Award * Army Commendation Medal ribbon

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

Army of Occupation Medal The Army of Occupation Medal is a military award of the United States military which was established by the United States War Department on 5 April 1946. The medal was created in the aftermath of the Second World War to recognize those who had ...

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. Arm ...

5 Campaigns * Vietnamese Gallantry Cross, with palm

Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm * Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp

Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, also known as the Vietnam Campaign Medal ( vi, Chiến Dịch Bội Tinh), is a South Vietnamese military campaign medal which was created in 1949, and awarded to French military personnel during the First ...

Senior Parachute Badge * Combat_Infantry_Badge

Combat Infantryman's Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of e ...

Ranger Tab

References

External links

Saint Peters College biographyTogether We Served biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diduryk, Myron F. 1938 births 1970 deaths People from Tarnopol Voivodeship Polish emigrants to the United States Pershing Riflemen United States Army officers American military personnel killed in the Vietnam War Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) Battle of Ia Drang United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War