The Chronicles Of Grant County
Veterans Day – 2024
Recognition Of Command Sergeant Major Delbert Owen Jennings
Born In Silver City
Recipient Of The Medal Of Honor
Command Sergeant Major Delbert Owen Jennings. (The photograph was provided courtesy of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.)
On this Veterans Day, we remember Command Sergeant Major Delbert Owen Jennings.
He was born in Silver City on July 23, 1936.
He lived in several communities during his lifetime. His obituary detailed that he was raised in Stockton, California.
He served our country in the Third Squad, Fourth Platoon, Company C, First Battalion (Airborne), Twelfth Cavalry, First Air Cavalry Division of the United States Army.
He was one of more than 8.7 million Americans who served our country in Vietnam.
President Lyndon Johnson took note of the valor exhibited by the then-Staff Sergeant Jennings on December 27, 1966, in the Kim Song Valley of the Republic of Vietnam.
During a ceremony on the grounds of The White House on September 19, 1968, President Johnson placed the Medal of Honor around the neck of the then-Staff Sergeant Jennings.
The citation for the Medal of Honor detailing the bravery of the then-Staff Sergeant Jennings is as follows:
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Part of Company C was defending an artillery position when attacked by a North Vietnamese Army regiment supported by mortar, recoilless-rifle, and machine-gun fire. At the outset, [Staff] Sergeant Jennings sprang to his bunker, astride the main attack route, and slowed the on-coming enemy wave with highly effective machine-gun fire. Despite a tenacious defense in which he killed at least 12 of the enemy, his squad was forced to the rear. After covering the withdrawal of the squad, he rejoined his men, destroyed an enemy demolition crew about to blow up a nearby howitzer, and killed three enemy soldiers at his initial bunker position. Ordering his men back into a secondary position, he again covered their withdrawal, killing one enemy with the butt of his weapon. Observing that some of the defenders were unaware of a enemy force in their rear, he raced through a fire-swept area to warn the men, turn their fire on the enemy, and lead them into a secondary perimeter. Assisting in the defense of the new position, he aided the air-landing of reinforcements by throwing white phosphorous grenades on the landing zone despite dangerously silhouetting himself with the light. After helping to repulse the final enemy assaults, he led a group of volunteers well beyond friendly lines to an area where eight seriously wounded men lay. Braving enemy sniper fire and ignoring the presence of booby traps in the area, they recovered the eight men who would have probably perished without early medical treatment. [Staff] Sergeant…[Jennings's] extraordinary heroism and inspirational leadership saved the lives of many of his comrades and contributed greatly to the defeat of a superior enemy force. His actions stand with the highest traditions of the military profession and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U S Army."
In addition to then-Staff Sergeant Jennings, President Johnson also presented four other men with Medals of Honor in the same ceremony on September 19, 1968 – Sergeant Leonard B. Keller, U S Army; First Sergeant David H. McNerney, U S Army; Staff Sergeant Kenneth E. Stumpf, U S Army; and Specialist Four Raymond R. Wright, U S Army.
You can view this Medal of Honor Ceremony recognizing the service of these five men by clicking here.
"The Medal of Honor is the United States' highest award for military valor in action," according to a statement from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. "And while over 150 years have passed since its inception, the meaning behind the Medal has never tarnished. Etched within are the very values that each Recipient displayed in the moments that mattered – bravery, courage, sacrifice, integrity. A deep love of country and a desire to always do what is right."
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society indicated that since 1863, when the first Medal of Honor was presented by Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War in the Administration of President Abraham Lincoln, 3,538 Medals of Honor have been awarded for service to the people of the United States of America. Two hundred and sixty-eight Medals of Honor were awarded to people serving during the Vietnam War.
Staff Sergeant Jennings attained the rank of Command Sergeant Major prior to his retirement from the United States Army in 1985.
Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Delbert Owen Jennings died on March 16, 2003, in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Multiple reports indicated that he was initially buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, and then later reburied at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
As requested by the Federal government, at 12:11 PM (Mountain Time) on Veterans Day, please consider honoring the Veterans Day Moment of Silence Act with a two-minute moment of silence. In that silence, please remember Command Sergeant Major Delbert Owen Jennings as well as all of the other men and women who have served and are serving our country, the United States of America.
Command Sergeant Major Delbert Owen Jennings rests at Arlington National Cemetery. (The photograph was produced by Elizabeth Fraser and provided courtesy of the United States Army, October 28, 2019.)
Command Sergeant Major Delbert Owen Jennings rests at Arlington National Cemetery.
(The photograph was produced by Elizabeth Fraser and provided courtesy of the United States Army, October 28, 2019.)
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