Kenyon Gary Wellman
Specialist Four, U.S. Army

Kenyon Gary Wellman was born on 26 November 1947 in Abilene, TX, the son of Kenyon Gilbert and Ima Jean Rial Wellman. He was inducted into the U.S. Army in February 1967.

On 22 December 1967, Specialist Four Kenyon Gary Wellman was serving with Company D, 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, in South Vietnam.

On that day, SPC4 Wellman was serving as a member of a combat patrol on a search and destroy mission near Dau Tieng. His patrol was maneuvering through dense jungle when it was ambushed by a Viet Cong force in well-fortified positions. SPC4 Wellman was pinned down at the front of his unit by automatic weapons fire and many of his comrades were killed or wounded. Despite bullets striking all around him, he moved among the wounded and administered first aid. The hostile fire continued relentlessly and SPC4 Wellman knew that to save his patrol from annihilation, the Viet Cong bunker directly to his front would have to be silenced. He crawled to where a machine gunner had been killed, grabbed the machine gun and single-handedly assaulted the enemy position. He charged through the underbrush laying down a barrage on the insurgent fortification. His one-man attack was momentarily halted when he was knocked to the ground by a burst of enemy fire. Seriously wounded, but knowing the lives of his fellow soldiers depended on the destruction of the Viet Cong bunker, he stood up and continued his assault through the heavy fire. Only a few feet from the enemy position, SPC4 Wellman was hit again and killed instantly. SPC4 Wellman's courageous actions and extraordinary heroism, at the cost of his life, 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
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Specialist Fourth Class Kenyon Gary Wellman (ASN: US-54441015), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company D, 3d Battalion, 22d Infantry, 3d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. Specialist Four Wellman distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 22 December 1967 while serving as a member of a combat patrol on a search and destroy mission near Dau Tieng. His patrol was maneuvering through dense jungle when it was savagely ambushed by a Viet Cong force in well-fortified positions. Specialist Wellman was pinned down at the front of his unit by intense enemy automatic weapons fire, and many of his nearby comrades were killed or wounded. Despite bullets striking all around him, he ignored his own safety, moved among the wounded, and administered first aid. The lethal hostile fire continued relentlessly, and Specialist Wellman realized that in order to save his patrol from annihilation, the Viet Cong bunker directly to his front would have to be silenced. He crawled to where a machine gunner had been killed, grabbed the machine gun and single-handedly assaulted the enemy position. He charged through the underbrush laying down a concentrated barrage on the insurgent fortification. His one-man attack was momentarily halted when he was struck to the ground by a burst of enemy fire. Very seriously wounded but knowing the lives of his fellow soldiers depended on the destruction of the Viet Cong bunker, he stood up and continued his gallant assault through a curtain of fire. When only a few feet from the enemy position, he was hit again by a hail of bullets and instantly killed. Specialist Four Wellman's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 772 (February 20, 1968)

Honors

The name Kenyon G Wellman is located on Panel 32E Line 49 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Burial

Specialist Four Kenyon Gary Wellman is buried at Restland Memorial Park in Dallas, Dallas County, TX.

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