COL Querin E. Herlik
COL Querin E. Herlik
Rank, Service Colonel O-6, U.S. Army Veteran of:
U.S. Army Reserve 1954-1955
U.S. Army 1955-1985
Cold War 1954-1985
Vietnam War 1964-1965, 1968-1969 (POW)
Quin Herlik was born in 1932 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve on September 10, 1954, and was commissioned a 2nd Lt of Artillery through the Army ROTC program at St. Norbert College, Wisconsin, on June 5, 1955. Lt Herlik went on active duty beginning November 18, 1955, and after completing the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, he was assigned to the 216th Field Artillery Battalion at Darmstadt, West Germany, from March 1956 to April 1959.
After completing additional training at the U.S. Army Air Defense Center at Fort Bliss, Texas, 1LT Herlik served with the 5th Missile Battalion of the 55th Artillery at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, from August 1959 to January 1961. He then attended Fixed Wing Aviator training at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and was awarded his Aviator Badge in November 1961, having qualified as an O-1 Bird Dog and U-6 Beaver pilot. His first aviation assignment was with the U.S. Army Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from November 1961 to March 1964, followed by service with the 73rd Aviation Company at Nha Trang, South Vietnam, from April to December 1964, and then with the 7th Aviation Platoon at Da Nang, South Vietnam, from January to April 1965.
Maj Herlik next served with the U.S. Army Weapons Command at Rock Island, Illionis, from May 1965 to May 1966, and then as Chief of Liberty Army Airfield Operations with the U.S. Army Aviation School Element at Fort Stewart, Georgia, from May 1966 to March 1968. He then returned to Southeast Asia where he served as Executive Officer of the 138th Aviation Company at Da Nang from May to July 1968, followed by service as Commander of the 146th Aviation Company at Saigon, South Vietnam, from August 1968 until he was shot down in his RU-1 Otter reconnaissance aircraft in Cambodia and was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War on February 12, 1969. President Nixon managed to get him and the other members of his aircrew released on March 11, 1969.
He then returned to the U.S. and served on the staff of Headquarters U.S. Army Air Defense Command at Ent AFB, Colorado, from May 1969 to January 1972, and then on the staff of Headquarters Central Army Group at Seckenheim, West Germany, from February 1972 to June 1973. Col Herlik served as Commander of the 5th Artillery Group at Buren, West Germany, from July 1973 to July 1975, followed by service on the Operations Directorate (J-3) of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the Combat Center Operations Chief on the National Emergency Airborne Command Post (NEACP) at Andrews AFB, Maryland, from August 1975 to July 1977. His next assignment was on the staff of Headquarters U.S. Army Element of the North American Aerospace Defense Command stationed at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, from July 1977 to July 1981, and then as President of the U.S. Army Physical Evaluation Board at Fort Gordon, Georgia, from August 1981 until his retirement from the Army on December 31, 1985. Col Herlik wears the Master Army Aviator Badge, and accumulated 4,268 flying hours during his Army career, including 912 flying hours in combat during his two tours in Southeast Asia.
His Silver Star Citation reads:
By direction of the President, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved 9 July 1918, a Silver Star for gallantry in action is awarded to: Lieutenant Colonel Querin E. Herlik (then Major), Artillery, United States Army, who distinguished himself by heroism involving voluntary risk of life in the Republic of Vietnam on 12 February 1969 and during the ensuing period of captivity that ended on 12 March 1969. On 12 February 1969, while serving on a classified airborne mission over the Republic of Vietnam, the plane in which Colonel Herlik was pilot came under hostile fire and was forced to land in hostile territory. Colonel Herlik, knowing the potential loss to the United States effort in Vietnam if the enemy came into possession of the aircraft, took up a defensive position near the aircraft. In the ensuing intense fire fight, Colonel Herlik took a determined stand with a small caliber weapon. He and his fellow crew members fought valiantly until they were sure that the sensitive aircraft had been destroyed. After the aircraft's destruction, they continued to fire at the enemy in the hope that the numerically superior force could be held at bay until rescue attempts could be undertaken. Finally, out of ammunition, Colonel Herlik and his fellow crew members were captured. Colonel Herlik, after capture, resisted all interrogation concerning his mission or activities aboard the aircraft. By his courageous action and humanitarian regard for his fellow man, in the dedication of his service to his country, Colonel Herlik has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Army.
Kelly Levenhagen
Veteran Tributes: http://www.veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.asp?ID=995
May 2, 2012
SNC ROTC
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COL James G. Van Straten
Doctor James G. Van Straten, Ph.D. (COL, MS. USA Ret.) served 30 years on active duty in a number of assignments including senior medical advisor in Vietnam, Office of the Surgeon General, U.S. Army, and several tours on the staff and faculty of the Medical Field Service School, Academy of Health Sciences, U.S. Army. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Texas. Dr. Van Straten currently serves as Dean, Allied Sciences, at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio,
Texas.
Kelly Levenhagen
The Military Chaplain's Review: http://www24.us.archive.org/stream/militarychaplain61unse/militarychaplain61unse_djvu.txt
May 2, 2012
SNC ROTC
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BG Carl Newhouse
BG Carl Newhouse
No Information Available
Kelly Levenhagen
SNC ROTC
May 2, 2012
SNC ROTC
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COL Celeste T. Richardson
COL Celeste T. Richardson
No Information Available
Kelly Levenhagen
SNC ROTC
May 2, 2012
SNC ROTC
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LTC William L. Shackelford
LTC William L. Shackelford
No Information Available
Kelly Levenhagen
SNC ROTC
May 2, 2012
SNC ROTC
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COL Norman Jarock
COL Norman Jarock
In the fall of 1957, Vice President Nixon was greeted by the cadet battalion under command of cadet Lieutenant Colonel Norm Jarock. Mr. Nixon visited Green Bay to dedicate the new Packer stadium. He complemented the unit as "one of the finest I've ever seen."
Kelly Levenhagen
SNC ROTC
SNC Magazine
http://www.snc.edu/communications/magazine/2010v42n1/soulmates.html
May 2, 2012
St. Norbert College
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COL Tom Johnson
COL Tom Johnson
Thomas Colonel Thomas W. Johnson (72), U.S. Army (Retired), passed away on October 9, 2009, in Green Bay, WI. A resident of Whittier, NC, Col. Johnson was born in Green Bay in 1937. His military service spanned 32 years, during which he was stationed at various locations in Europe, the Far East, and throughout the United States. He commanded the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the famed 101st Airborne Division, and in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive of 1968 was awarded the Silver Star, America's third highest award for gallantry in action. He lived in Marietta, was stationed at Ft. McPherson at the time of his retirement in 1987, and later taught junior ROTC at Cherokee High School in NC, coached and officiated at national levels in shooting sports, and was a secondary school administrator.
Colonel Johnson was a 1960 graduate of St. Norbert College (De Pere, WI), and held graduate degrees from Marquette University and Salve Regina College. He was a life member of the Military Officers' Association of America, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Old Guard Association (3rd Infantry Regiment), and was inducted into the Order of the Silver Rose (for victims of Agent Orange).
Kelly Levenhagen
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/atlanta/obituary.aspx?n=thomas-johnson&pid=135375475
May 2, 2012
SNC ROTC
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COL John Biese
COL John Biese
Graduating class of 1961
Kelly Levenhagen
SNC ROTC
May 6, 2012
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BG Alfred J. Mallette
BG ALfred J. MAllette
Graduating class of 1961
Kelly Levenhagen
SNC ROTC
Information taken from the CECOM LCMC Historical Office Website
www.monmouth.army.mil/historian/
May 6, 2012
SNC ROTC
CECOM LCMC Historical Office Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans
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COL Brian H. Cundiff
COL Brian H. Cundiff
No one was left untouched by the Vietnam War. The St. Norbert commissionees served and contributed during repetitive tours of duty, again with unequaled dedication and heroism. As a captain, Brain Cundiff ’61 won the nation’s second highest award for heroism, the Distinguished Service Cross while commanding an infantry company in the 1st Infantry Division.
Awarded for actions during the Vietnam War
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Captain (Infantry) Brian H. Cundiff (ASN: 0-94378), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division.
Captain Cundiff distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 1 April 1967 while serving as company commander during an attack by a numerically superior Viet Cong force near Ap Gu. At 0500 hours the Viet Cong began a barrage of 400 mortar rounds on Captain Cundiff's company. As the devastating shelling decreased, the insurgents launched a ferocious human wave attack which outnumbered the American battalion three to one. Wave after wave of insurgents penetrated the battalion with mortars, machine gun and rifle fire.
Captain Cundiff, unrelenting to the overwhelming firepower of the enemy, engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat, killing six Viet Cong. Although he was wounded three times, he continued to fight and rally his force. He moved among his men and mustered and effective defense which finally succeeded in repelling the enemy. Still refusing medical aid, Captain Cundiff called for artillery support and air strikes, then commanded a massive counterattack that pushed the Viet Cong back into a barrage of artillery and deadly air strikes.
Captain Cundiff's inspiring leadership and dauntless courage were an inspiration to his men and led to one of the most decisive actions of the Viet Cong conflict. Captain Cundiff's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 2395 (May 25, 1967)
Action Date: 1-Apr-67
Service: Army
Rank: Captain
Company: Company C
Battalion: 1st Battalion
Regiment: 26th Infantry Regiment
Division: 1st Infantry Division
Kelly Levenhagen
SNC ROTC
Military Times Hall of Valor
http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=5346
Military Times
May 6, 2012
SNC ROTC
Military Times
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