Herbert Joseph Etie, Jr.
Sergeant, U.S. Army

In August 1951, Sergeant Herbert Joseph Etie, Jr. was serving as a Platoon Sergeant with an Infantry Company of the 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, in Korea.

On 27 August, SGT Etie's unit was engaged with enemy forces in the vicinity of Chg'u-dong, Korea. SGT Etie was ordered to deploy his platoon along a strategic ridge to defend it against the hostile troops. His men had just been positioned when the platoon perimeter was attacked by a numerically superior enemy force closely supported by heavy mortar and artillery fire. The platoon began to become disorganized due to the large number of enemy troops, so SGT Etie moved from man to man, encouraging them and directing their fire. When the enemy was on the point of overrunning the friendly positions, he gave the order for his men to fall back. He moved to the exposed ridge with an automatic-rifle to cover their withdrawal. Firing with deadly accuracy, SGT Etie inflicted numerous casualties on the enemy troops, delaying them until his men had completed their withdrawal. Finally, with his ammunition gone, his position was overrun by enemy troops and he was mortally wounded. SGT Etie's courageous actions saved the lives of many of his men and earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Distinguished Service Cross
Purple Heart
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Sergeant Herbert J. Etie (ASN: RA-25927670), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as Platoon Sergeant in an Infantry Company of the 32d Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Sergeant Etie distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Chg'u-dong, Korea, on 27 August 1951. On that date, Sergeant Etie was ordered to deploy his platoon along a strategic ridge to defend it against the fanatically determined hostile troops. The men had just been positioned when the friendly perimeter was attacked by a numerically superior enemy force closely supported by heavy mortar and artillery fire. Because of the pressure of the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, the platoon began to become disorganized. Observing this, Sergeant Etie moved from man to man across the fire-swept terrain, encouraging them and directing their fire. When the enemy was on the point of overrunning the friendly positions, he gave the order for his men to fall back and he moved to the exposed ridge with an automatic-rifle in order to cover their withdrawal. Firing with deadly accuracy, Sergeant Etie inflicted numerous casualties among the enemy troops, effectively delaying them until his comrades had completed their withdrawal. Finally, with his ammunition expended, his position was overrun by hostile troops and he was mortally wounded. His courageous actions were responsible for saving the lives of many of his comrades.

General Orders: Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No. 1001 (December 18, 1951)

Burial

Sergeant Herbert Joseph Etie, Jr. is buried at Forest Park Cemetery in Houston, Harris County, TX.

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