SP4 Joseph De Frank, U.S. Army (1966-1968)

Many years ago, I purchased a handmade, richly finished personalized box for my Army memorabilia. It had a gold-filled laser engraving: SP4 Joseph A. De Frank, B Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry (1/6), 198th Light Infantry Brigade (LIB), Americal (23rd Infantry) Division, surrounding a beautiful embossed Vietnam War Veteran medallion.

The unit crest of the 1/6 depicts an alligator which symbolizes service in the Seminole War, when the regiment bore the brunt of the fighting at the battle of Lake Okeechobee on 25 December 1837. Service in the Mexican War with General Scott is commemorated with a scaling ladder by means of which the walls of the citadel of Chapultepec were stormed. The 1/6 s long proud lineage can be traced back to the War of 1812, when it had the distinction of being commanded by Colonel Zachary Taylor. The Battalion has three Presidential Unit Citations, Two Valorous Unit awards, and three Medal of Honor awardees. The unit motto is Unity is Strength.

The 1/6 was reorganized and assigned to the 198th LIB on 17 May 1967. That was when I was assigned to the unit as a Combat Medic. It was the division’s first element ashore, arriving at Chu Lai in October 1967, and had the mission of protecting Americal Division Headquarters and Chu Lai Defense Command. It participated in Task Force Miracle during the enemy’s Tet Offensive, when the city of Da Nang was threatened by the 60th Main Force Viet Cong Battalion. The 1/6th was awarded the Valorous Unit Citation for its victory at the 7 11 February 1968 Battle of Lo Giang.

The 198th LIB unit patch has blue and white colors associated with infantry, a tongue of flame alluding to the unit’s firepower, and a bayonet, a basic infantry weapon, symbolic of carrying the fight to the enemy. Together, the flame and bayonet refer to the 198th LIB’s spirit and readiness to engage the enemy in a firefight or hand-to-hand combat with bayonet. The unit motto is Brave and Bold.

The Americal Division patch contains four white stars on a blue field, symbolic of the Southern Cross constellation under which the organization has served, as well as the four World War II campaigns (Guadalcanal, Northern Solomons, Leyte and Southern Philippines) in which it participated. The division was active in Vietnam 1967-71.

My Purple Heart was earned while coming to the aid of one of my platoon members who had been wounded by mortar fire on 8 February 1968 during the Battle of Lo Giang.

My Combat Medic Badge, the item that I cherish the most, signifies the recipient’s medical skills and expertise as well as steadfastness, strength and loyalty. I was wounded by friendly fire on 21 February 1968 and Medevaced to the hospital ship USS Repose for surgery and then to the 249th General Hospital in Camp Drake, Osaka, Japan, where I bought a Zippo lighter engraved on both sides with the 198th Brave and Bold unit patch and the Combat Medic Badge.

Read the Military Memories of our Runner-Ups.