Dog Tag returned to Silver Star recipient Richard Curry’s son
December 2017 - The dog tag of Silver Star recipient Richard Curry is finally back home with his family.
Sometime during Richards service in Vietnam, he lost one of his dog tags.
Curry's dog tag was among hundreds brought home in 1993 after a South Jersey reporter, Jim Six, asked his friend, retired Police Chief and Vietnam Veteran (Ray Milligan), to bring home any dog tags he saw when in Vietnam and gave him money to purchase any that were for sale. Milligan was in DaNang, Vietnam as logistics support for the medical mission called Operation Smile. In the streets outside his hotel, he met villagers who had what appeared to be old, rusty American dog tags. He brought them home and later gave them to us (2010) to try and locate and return them.
Unfortunately, Curry passed away in 2010. However, his memory lives on with his family and we were able to get his dog tag home in time for the holidays!
DEATH NOTICE of RICHARD T. CURRY
Waltham, MA – Retired Waltham Fire Lieutenant Richard T. Curry, of Waltham, died Sunday, April 11, 2010 at his home. He was 62. Rich was born in Brighton on September 5, 1947, a son of the late Virgil and Martha (Wilson) Curry, and moved with his family to Waltham when he was five years old. After high school he joined the United States Marine Corps and served with distinction during the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Silver Star and two Purple Hearts in addition to a Presidential Unit Citation; National Defense Service Medal; the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry; the Vietnam Service Medal with three stars and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.
MILITARY SERVICE
U.S. Marine Corps • Lance Corporal • 0351/Infantry Assaultman
October 1964 through December 1968, H&S Co, 1st Bn, 8th MAR, 2nd MAR DIV
Biography:
Rich was nominated to receive the Silver Star, the nation’s third highest military award, when he was a nineteen year old private first class and squad leader serving with ‘A’ Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division. A couple of weeks shy of his twentieth birthday, in August, 1967, Rich and his platoon were sent to establish a defensive ambush position 200 yards outside their base perimeter in Da Nang province. His squad came under heavy enemy attack before they reached their positions, receiving rifle and machine gun fire, in addition to a grenade attack. Rich’s Presidential Citation described the event: “In the initial moments of the attack, all members of the machine gun team were wounded . . . reacting instantly, PFC Curry ran fifteen meters under intense enemy fire to the team’s position. While encouraging the wounded he boldly positioned himself in front of his wounded comrades with the machine gun in full view of the enemy and commenced to direct long bursts of fire into hostile positions.” He continued to fire the heavy weapon from a standing position until the enemy ceased firing and after expending 600 rounds of ammunition, eventually running out, he repositioned himself with his personal weapon in the darkness to other wounded Marines, re-loading their weapons and directing their fire until enemy forces withdrew. One witness to the event, Sergeant Stephen Truss, USMC, attributed Rich’s heroic actions “with saving the lives of the machine gun team and all the members of his squad”.