Notable Cadets

Military Honors & Valor

3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, USARV
Bronze Star w/Valor for heroism during Operation “Cedar Falls.” 1st Lt. Burch’s unit was searching a known Viet Cong village when they came under fire from underground positions north of the village. Under enemy fire, Lt. Burch moved forward and engaged the fleeing enemy. Remaining in this exposed area, he added his fire to that of two other members of the forward unit, and exposed and killed the Viet Cong.

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Military Honors & Valor

Advisory Team 3, Thua Thien Province, USMACV
Silver Star for heroism during an enemy attack in the Nam Hoa District Compound of Thua Thien Province of Vietnam. As the attack began, Captain Bell directed defensive fire from an observation tower. From his position he also observed the enemy conducting a ground and rocket attack on the city of Hue. Due to his leadership and quick thinking, the attack was repulsed. He then repositioned himself and personally fired on these enemy sites with a recoilless rifle. After his position came under enemy fire and despite shrapnel wounds from several near misses, Bell moved his position and destroyed the enemy sites.

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Military Honors & Valor

145th Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade, USARV
Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism in aerial flight as the pilot of an armed helicopter during the savage Battle of Dong Xoai in 1965. During the initial assault into what became an intensely hot LZ to include mortar fire into the landing area, Captain Newsome provided suppressive fire unto the flanks of the LZ allowing assaulting personnel to respond to the enemy attack. When one of the troop carrying aircraft was disabled by a mortar round and crashed, Captain Newsome without regard for his own safety and under extremely heavy fire, attempted to rescue the crew. During that descent he was hit by another mortar round, and just before touch-down the damaged helicopter on the ground exploded. At that point Captain Newsome broke his approach and provided suppressive fire for the ARVN unit and their advisors. His further attempts to rescue American advisors ended when the Viet Cong directed their fire into the advisors’ position and the unit became overwhelmed by the enemy force. With no communications in his aircraft, little remaining ammunition or gas, and a very damaged ship he reluctantly broke contact and departed the area.

228th Aviation Battalion (Assault Support Helicopter) (Airmobile) 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), USARV
Distinguished Flying Cross with OLC for heroism above and beyond the call of duty in aerial flight, while serving as a flight leader during Operation Delaware in the A Shau Valley in early 1968. During that period the anti-aircraft defenses and troop concentrations in the A Shau Valley were not equaled anywhere in Vietnam, and maneuver units frequently found themselves in emergency situations as a result. Despite these facts and also that numerous aircraft had been lost that day in attempting to resupply an engaged unit, Major Newsome repeatedly flew into a hostile LZ to delivery critical ammunition and other critical supplies essential to the survival of that unit and the success of the operation. Each approach was under fire.

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DAVID FIEDLER (Class of 1968) served in the Signal Corps and after a deployment to Vietnam was assigned to the U.S. Army Electronics Command. Drawing on his combat experiences, Fiedler wrote a book on radio physics that is still in use today, was used extensively in the Gulf War/Afghanistan and has been incorporated into official Signal Corps doctrine. As a result of his work in tactical communications the Army Chief of Signal has awarded him the Chief of Signal plaque twice and inducted him into the Order of Mercury signal honor society

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EUGENE HOOPES (Class of 1901) served as an engineer during World War I and became an aeronautical consultant for the military, working at air fields in the U.S. and Europe. He began his writing career in 1951 with the publication of “Tales of a Dude Wrangler,” a series of fictional stories told, as one reviewer put it, “by the type of wrangler one may find at any roundup, at any ‘dude’ ranch, or around any campfire where stories of the rangeland and its lore were told.”

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CHARLES E. “Doc” MERKEL, Jr. (Class of 1967) served for more than 20 years as an Master Army Aviator in the U.S. Army and currently serves as the historian for the 53d Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. He authored the book “Unraveling the Custer Enigma,” which contains information about the court martial of Custer.

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Military Honors & Valor

Advisory Team 75, 2nd Battalion, 12th Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, (ARVN), USMACV
Bronze Star w/Valor for valorous actions. While serving as an advisor within the 2nd Battalion, a reinforced Viet Cong battalion ambushed and overwhelmed the Vietnamese troops. While some Vietnamese troops withdrew under the heavy fire, Lt. Baim remained calm and directed the Vietnamese commander to regroup and counterattack. The counterattack resulted in breaking the assault of the Viet Cong attack.

Interview conducted by New York State Military Museum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIK_yJ8V6yI 

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Military Honors & Valor

2nd Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, USAFE
Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry in action against enemy forces on 13 August 1967. While commanding a helicopter assault into enemy territory, he directed the battalion helicopters to fly low, to make direct strikes against enemy targets. Several helicopters were shot down, and his craft suffered hits. But he and his men landed at the designated place.

On the ground, he moved to avoid sniper fire while directing a team to extinguish a fire started by a smoke grenade in nearby elephant grass. He ignored enemy machine-gun fire and shrapnel to evacuate a soldier suffering from smoke inhalation and another overcome by heat exposure.
Through the night, he continued to repel enemy forces and direct a move to safer ground — all the while exposing himself to enemy fire and rallying his men.

Bronze Star w/V for heroism during an action against a well dug in Viet Cong unit. When LTC Abood learned that one of his platoons were pinned down, he flew to the battle area by helicopter and assisted with artillery fire on the enemy positions. Although a Medevac helicopter was unable to fly due to damage from hostile fire, Abood ordered his helicopter to land and extract the wounded. He then joined the platoon giving them encouragement and directing return fire. His presence and leadership inspired the platoon and they routed the entrenched enemy.

Air Medal w/V for heroism in aerial flight by providing night navigation support to a rifle company on the ground attempting to link up with another unit under heavy enemy fire. To overcome the visibility limiting effects of darkness and triple canopy jungle, LTC Abood ordered the aircraft to hover, with lights on, over the designated link up point. This action caused enemy gunners to unleash a heavy volume of fire at the aircraft which maintained its’ position while employing evasive maneuver until the ground commander could locate the link up point and effect contact with the unit in contact.

Army Commendation Medal w/V for heroism in ground combat by providing leadership under fire and assisting a platoon leader in securing a landing zone in high elephant grass under fire. Under his mentorship the LZ was secured and the enemy fire silenced.

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Military Honors & Valor

2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division USAFE
Silver Star for gallantry, initiative and courage. As the 4ID moved inland from Normandy, the Germans offered stiff resistance, but there was no counterattack until June 14. During a furious German charge, Major Burk took emergency command of Company E. Through his own initiative and daring leadership he ably led his troops in repulsing the German attack.

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Military Honors & Valor

530th Squadron, 380th Bomb Group
Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism during an air battle. In response to intelligence that a Japanese cruiser would possibly be in the vicinity, “Old Hickory," of the 530th Bomb Squadron piloted by Jack Bratton with George Kassab as the co-pilot, made the arduous flight from Fenton Field in Australia to Macassar in the Celbes. Although there was no cruiser, the Liberator (B-24 Bomber) was spotted and attacked by four Japanese Zeros (A6M Zero fighters). At first the Zeros unsuccessfully attacked with aerial burst bombs, and then reverted to more convention methods. The Liberator responded with 50cal fire. Despite severe damage, at the end of the ensuing fight, three Zeros were shot down. Lt. Kassab and the rest of the crew received the Distinguished Flying Cross for their “courageous service” during this air battle.

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Military Honors & Valor

3rd Battalion, 398th Infantry Regiment, 100th Infantry Division, USAFE
Silver Star (Posthumously) for conspicuous gallantry while leading a combat patrol toward enemy territory at midnight on 1 March 1945. Lt. Wilkens encountered a hostile mine field and ordered his men to retrace their steps. When an alternate route was found, he instructed the members of the patrol to remain behind while he moved forward alone to reconnoiter. In so doing he was killed by the detonation of a mine, thus saving the lives of his comrades.

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Military Honors & Valor

Company K, 1st Regiment, 1st Delaware Infantry Volunteers
Medal of Honor
Brigadier General Thomas A. Smyth of the 1st Regiment, Delaware Volunteers, wrote of the “bravery and conduct under heavy pressure” of Captain Sparks during the Battle of Chancellorsville. In October, after reorganizing a group of stragglers along Turkey Creek, near Bristoe Station, BG Smyth again wrote of the cool conduct and meritorious service of Captain Sparks.

The Medal of Honor was first authorized in 1861. It was the only medal awarded to soldiers for “gallantry and intrepidity” during the Civil War. Other acts of unmistaken gallantry were only recognized in the dispatches of unit commanders.

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Military Honors & Valor

1st Battalion (Airborne), 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, USAFE
Silver Star for gallantry in action against the enemy in and around Nijmegen, Holland.

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Military Honors & Valor

1st Battalion, 20th Infantry, 10th Armored Division, USAFE
Silver Star for gallantry in action at Schwerdorf, Germany where he braved intense enemy artillery and small arms fire during a patrol.

Bronze Star for heroism during an assault against a determined enemy which resulted in the recovery of eight disabled tanks.

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Military Honors & Valor

MAAG-Vietnam, 47th Separate Infantry Regiment, ARVN
Silver Star for gallantry during an encounter between the lead units of the battalion against an enemy entrenched in a wooded area that dominated the field of battle. Captain Thompson rushed to the front and began to reorganize the dispersed Vietnamese units and those sent to retrieve four stalled armored scout carriers the dead and wounded. After successfully rallying the troops, he led them forward against the enemy, disregarding his own safety. Despite the constant enemy fire, he assisted these units in evacuating their wounded and dead.

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After completing high school in three years, George B. Christian, Jr., left Marion Ohio and enrolled at Pennsylvania Military College. He was a gifted student, earning the title of distinguished Cadet for earning a spot on the Merit List. Colonel Frank Hyatt wrote that “Mr. Christian is a cadet of high character and excellent intellectual attainments.” In 1896, he graduated with a Civil Engineering degree. He then returned to Marion and worked for his father at the Norris & Christian Stone and Lime Company.

Christian was also the next-door neighbor of Warren and Florence Harding. At an early age he delivered the Star newspaper, owned and operated by Harding. When Harding ran for the U.S. Senate in 1913, Christian was very involved in the campaign. One of the first decisions Harding made as senator-elect was to hire Christian as his personal secretary. As Harding’s alter ego this association continued throughout Harding’s presidency.

As Secretary to the President, Christian was the precursor of today’s White House Chief of Staff. He would act as the buffer between the President and public, keeping the President’s schedules and appointments, managing his correspondence, communicating to the press and managing the White House staff, which consisted of 31 people during the Harding Presidency.

In February, 1920, PMC held its annual recognition of Washington’s birthday. Then Senator Harding, accompanied by Christian, was the featured speaker and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws. Harding’s address was described as a “tribute to PMC.” Although Harding declined an invitation to attend the Centennial Commencement Ceremony, Christian sent a photo of the President inscribed with the comment “… from one who holds Chester’s famous college in high esteem.”

Christian was devastated after the unexpected death of Harding in 1923. In an interview with the New York Times he commented: “For nearly nine years I worked beside him and my present sorrow is somewhat assuaged by the feeling of satisfaction of having been permitted to serve a great president, a most humane and considerate chief and the finest friend as has ever been given a man to have.” Although he assisted with the transition of President Coolidge, Christian turned down the President’s offer to remain.

For the next few years, Christian devoted his time to working with the Harding Memorial Association, which was formed shortly after Harding’s death to plan and raise money for the Harding Memorial. He had also planned on writing a biography about Harding and his own experiences, but he developed glaucoma, with eventually robbed him of his sight. By 1930 he was inactive and his health began to fail. died in 1951.

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Evans Kayser entered PMC because of the recommendation of Norman Goldberg who, together, would be in the Class of 1965. In Kayser’s view, it “was one of the best decisions” he ever made. As a member of HQ Company (the Band) and a trombone player, he participated in the Boardwalk Bowl in Atlantic City and the PMC 1st Place Award-Winning National Marching Band Competition at the New York World’s Fair. His Army aviation career began when he participated in the ROTC Flight program where he learned to fly at the Wilmington, DE, airport. After graduation, he attended Rotary Wing Flight School (training for helicopter pilots) before deploying to Vietnam. In Vietnam, Kayser served as Pilot with Delta Troop, 3/5 Armored Cavalry. D Troop acted as a separate unit as a Quick Reaction Force, to work in tandem with infantry brigades on major assaults and other missions.

Late in the afternoon of June 19, 1967, two UH-1C helicopter gunships, piloted by 1st Lt. Kayser and Capt. Paul Osterlin, responded to an urgent call to support units of the 2nd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division that had been ambushed by the Viet Cong. As they approached the battle, radio communication with the Brigade was difficult due to the casualties, ground fire, and chaos. The two helicopters immediately engaged the enemy firing all of their weapons systems (two mini-guns and two 7 round 2.75 rocket pods plus two M-60 machine guns). After several firing passes, an emergency UHF radio call from the Brigade declared a tactical emergency and requested additional fire support from any weapons-capable aircraft. The combined response from helicopter gunships and Air Force tactical aircraft was remarkable. Kayser’s helicopter only left the battle to refuel and rearm at the airstrip at Tan An (a few minutes away) and return to the firefight. As the battle continued, Kayser continued to effectively fire on the enemy as well as escorting medical evacuation helicopters in and out of the area. Despite sustaining damage to his aircraft, Kayser continued to support the ground troops until daybreak on June 20.

Capt Sam Slaughter, commander of the fire team, wrote: … this was one of the most complicated and difficult combat operations I have ever supported while under fire. Although it took 44 years and the help of Congressman Tim Scott of South Carolina, Evans Kayser was awarded the Silver Star Medal in 2011.

Military Honors & Valor

A5th Cavalry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, USARV
Silver Star for gallantry in action while responding to a distress call from an infantry company that had been ambushed by a large enemy force. First Lieutenant Kayser immediately attacked the enemy and when his ammunition was exhausted and fuel was low, he continued to mark the location of the enemy with smoke. After tactical air support was engaged, 1LT Kayser made repeated trips to a nearby air field to rearm and refuel. He then continued to escort supply and medical evacuation aircraft. His efforts in holding the enemy back and supporting the ground troops allowed them to maneuver to a more defensive position.

Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism while flying a routine river patrol near Tan An he reported encountering an infantry unit under fire from a superior Viet Cong force that needed air support. He fly to the area of the endangered infantry unit and launched a grenade and rocket attack on the enemy. He continued to attack and provided continuous fire on the enemy.

Army Commendation Medal for for heroism while flying an armed helicopter in support of ground operations.  Upon learning of a heavy ground attack against an Army of Vietnam outpost, 1Lt Kayser rushed to the area and made several low level gun runs resulting in the attack by a numerically superior enemy force being broken and the enemy fleeing.

Watch Congressman Tim Scott Present Evans Kayser with the Silver Star: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o26po7yIAko 

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MERVYN HARRIS (Class of 1957) is a former Army captain and served as a representative to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from Delaware County from 1964-66. He has served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations and events committees. His book traces the history of Nether Providence Township, Pa, from its original Lenape Indian inhabitants.

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Dennis Isom ‘66 was a hard person not to like at PMC. Although small in stature, he was a member of the Ranger Platoon and was remembered for rappelling off the roof of Terrell Hall. He was mentally tough and processed the qualities of being a leader. Upon graduation he was commissioned and joined the infantry.

The Army’s 4th Infantry Division began Operation Wayne Grey in early March 1969. Its mission was to prevent the 66th North Vietnamese Army Regiment from moving into South Vietnam’s Central Highlands, particularly in Kontum province near the Cambodian border. The lead element for the operation was the third battalion, 8th Infantry, comprised of Companies A, B, C, and D. They were deployed by helicopter assault into the Plei Trap Valley, an area northwest of Pleiku and Kontum.

On the morning of March 3, helicopters dropped A Company, led by Captain Dennis Isom, into the valley to prepare for a night patrol. As the company began to set up their night location, the third platoon, under the command of Lt Buddy Williams, was ordered to go further along the trail.  As the men made their way along a ridgeline, they killed two NVA soldiers, and that’s when the firefight began. A machine gun opened up at close range, killing one soldier and wounding another. Williams and his men took cover and returned fire, but more NVA joined in the fight. When Isom learned of the engagement, he rushed to reinforce the platoon with elements of A Company. Isom immediately calls for air support. At this the radio operator was wounded. When Isom went to his aid, he was killed instantly by a burst of machine gun fire across the chest.

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KARL WETTENGEL (Class of 1921) wrote “The Ghost of Paddy O and Other Poems” in free verse while at PMC. It illustrates the continuity of the spirit of PMC.

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