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Specialist 5 Wayne Simmons was a giant of a man,
and much to his delight he was called "Tiny." In seven months he
proved himself to be one of the bravest members of the 57th Medical
Detachment, setting a standard that would be hard to equal, let
alone exceed. He demonstrated courage and leadership abilities and
compassion as well. He wept unashamedly at the sight of an injured
child. He declined recuperation leave in Japan, preferring to remain
with the unit after being wounded. He did not want others to cover
for him. On April 1, 1965, he became the first DUSTOFF crewmember to
be killed in Vietnam. When a wounded soldier went down, he unplugged
and went to assist him, neglecting to inform his pilots. Receiving
accurate fire and being overloaded, they left not knowing he was
still on the ground. They tried to return when they noticed him
missing, but the enemy had overrun the LZ. The next day his body was
found only a few feet from the captain he had tried to save. He was
not "first-up" when the call came in, but took the mission because
he and his ship were ready. Specialist 5 Wayne Simmons was inducted
into the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame on 24 February 2002. |
