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Jackson Memorial Hall
This magnificent mural behind the stage of Jackson
Memorial Hall depicts the climatic moment of the May 15, 1864 battle of
New Market in which the VMI Cadet Corps spearheaded an infantry charge
across a rain soaked wheat field. The charge lead to a Confederate
victory. Out of 257 cadets who participated, 57 were wounded; ten
mortally. Today the battlefield is preserved as New Market Battlefield
State Historical Park www.vmi.edu/newmarket
Colonel William Grace, the Commanding
Officer of the NROTC Unit, VMI, welcomed all to the momentous occasion
and introduced the Awarding Officer, Lieutenant General H. P. "Pete" Osman,
Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, United States Marine
Corps.
NAVY CROSS to COLONEL WILLIAM H. DABNEY
for service as set forth in the following CITATION:
For extraordinary heroism while serving as Commanding Officer of two heavily
reinforced rifle companies of the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines, in connection
with operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam from 21 January
to 14 April 1968.
During the entire period, Colonel (then Captain) Dabney's force stubbornly
defended Hill 881S, a regimental outpost vital to the defense of the Khe
Sanh Combat Base. Following his bold spoiling attack on 20 January
1968, shattering a much larger North Vietnamese Army (NVA) force deploying
to attack Hill 881S, Colonel Dabney's force was surrounded and cut off
from all outside ground supply for the entire 77 day Siege of Khe Sanh.
Enemy snipers, machine guns, artillery, and 120-millimeter mortars responded
to any daylight movement on his position. In spite of deep entrenchments,
his total casualties during the siege were close to 100 percent.
Helicopters were his only source of resupply, and each such mission brought
down a cauldron of fire on his landing zones. On numerous occasions
Colonel Dabney raced into the landing zone under heavy hostile fire to
direct debarkation of personnel and to carry wounded Marines to evacuation
helicopters. The extreme difficulty of resupply resulted in conditions
of hardship and deprivation seldom experienced by American forces.
Nevertheless, Colonel Dabney's indomitable spirit was truly an inspiration
to his troops. He organized his defenses with masterful skill and
his preplanned fires shattered every enemy probe on his positions.
He also devised an early warning system whereby NVA artillery and rocket
firings from the west were immediately reported by lookouts to the Khe
Sanh Combat Base, giving exposed personnel a few life saving seconds to
take cover, saving countless lives, and facilitating the targeting of enemy
firing positions. Colonel Dabney repeatedly set an incredible example
of calm courage under fire, gallantly exposing himself at the center of
every action without concern for his own safety. Colonel Dabney contributed
decisively to ultimate victory in the Battle of Khe Sanh, which ranks among
the most heroic stands of any American force in history.
By his valiant combat leadership, exceptional bravery, and selfless devotion to duty, Colonel Dabney reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
/s/ Gordon R. England Secretary of the Navy
Will those who served on Hill 881 South or flew
in support of it, and those who are here to represent the men who died
doing so, please stand and face the audience.
(39 Marines and one Navy Corpsman sitting in the
front rows of Jackson Memorial Hall stood and faced the capacity crowd
of approximately 1,200. Immediately thereafter, all remaining
guest stood and applauded the Warriors until Colonel Dabney had to gesture
for silence. The Warriors remained standing as Colonel Dabney continued)
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, these
men standing before you, and the the Marines and Navy Hospital Corpsmen,
living and dead, whom they represent, are the men who, for 77 days at Khe
Sanh, held the hill and poured hot steel on a determined enemy. The
same forces under the same general besieged Khe Sanh as had overwhelmed
the French at Dien Bien Phu. At Khe Sanh, they were faced by these
men, and they quit and faded away. These men did their duty and endured
- Stonewall Jackson would have called it resolve - and by enduring, they
triumphed.
It is the greatest honor of
my life to have served with these patriots in battle. I wear this
decoration only
sym- bolically, as their commanding officer. It is these men who
earned it.
Gentlemen, we salute you!(The
Warriors took their seats to another rousing round of applause.)
Will the VMI Corps of Cadets please rise. (All seats remaining vacant after invited guests were seated had been occupied by cadets.)
Our generation - these men
who just stood before you - came home from war to a nation not much disposed
to honor the nobility of their service. Today, as Pete said a few
years late, you gave us our parade. Thank you! (Audience
and Warriors applauded the cadets)
Many of you will soon shoulder
the responsibility of command leading the citizen soldiers of your generation.
Eight of your number have already given their lives in the cause of freedom
in Iraq or Afghanistan. Should you be called upon to take America's
patriots in harm's way, you will find awesome, as I did in my time, their
courage and determination. The experience will become the signal
moment in your lives. We wish you God speed, and we salute you. (Another
round of applause with the loudest and most robust coming from those 40
men in the front rows of Jackson Memorial Hall.)
The official party departed the
stage with Colonel Dabney again in his wheel chair assisted by his wife
Virginia. He stopped in the center isle of the hall next to those
first front rows, and once again in a voice heard throughout the hall said,
"Follow me men!" And once again they did.
Michael F. Cullen, a Lance Corporal who served in the 1st Platoon of India Company later said, "We would have followed you to Iraq through the gates of Hell!"
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