{"id":35738,"date":"2024-06-10T18:39:47","date_gmt":"2024-06-10T18:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T21:00:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T21:00:36","slug":"six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/","title":{"rendered":"Six decades later, Marine Vietnam veteran awarded Silver Star"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Lance Cpl. Milo Plank Jr.\u2019s tank platoon rolled off landing craft and onto beaches south of Chu Lai, Vietnam, in August 1965, nobody fired a shot at them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But later that day, as he drove his M48 tank, rumbling through a meadow alongside two other tanks, a burst of machine-gun fire slapped its metal shell, wounding the crew\u2019s loader who\u2019d been standing in the turret\u2019s hatch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A fire team of infantrymen \u2015 the eyes and ears of the three-tank unit \u2014 were behind him, some of them were wounded too. A corpsman rushed up. But Plank knew they\u2019d need help getting the wounded sergeant out of the turret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He peeked out the driver\u2019s hatch, shoving his .45-caliber pistol out first, and only a few feet away saw a Viet Cong fighter raising his rifle toward the turret to fire on the men outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2020\/07\/14\/marine-raider-awarded-silver-star-after-4-hour-firefight-in-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\">18-year-old did next wouldn\u2019t be recognized<\/a> for 58 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On May 29, in Boise, Idaho, Marine Col. William Chairsell <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvidshub.net\/news\/472836\/us-marine-corps-veteran-receives-silver-star\" target=\"_blank\">pinned the Silver Star Medal<\/a> on the blue sport coat lapel of the now 77-year-old Plank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is the third-highest <a href=\"https:\/\/valor.militarytimes.com\/award\/5\" target=\"_blank\">military valor decoration<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/05\/22\/marine-awarded-silver-star-for-vietnam-heroics-half-a-century-later\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"162\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/silver-star-1.jpg-1.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Marine awarded Silver Star for Vietnam heroics a half century later<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Kelley refused to allow his position to be captured by the enemy, \u201cand ignoring his own wounds, murderously engaged the enemy until they broke contact.\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The teenage Marine was one of hundreds who participated in Operation Starlite \u2015 the first major, solely U.S. military offensive operation of the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Marines had been the first ground troops sent to South Vietnam in March, only five months before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From Aug. 18, 1965, to Aug. 25, 1965, infantry, artillery, armor and aircraft of the III Marine Amphibious Force swept into the land surrounding the Van Tuong village complex. It was nine miles south of the strategically vital Chu Lai Air Base and where intelligence had reported the Viet Cong\u2019s 1st Regiment launched its operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plank\u2019s three-tank team with A Company, 3rd Tank Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, was part of that force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the end of the eight-day operation the United States would see 45 men killed in action. U.S. officials reported more than 600 enemy killed, while Viet Cong claim only 200 perished or were captured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"732\" height=\"599\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/operation-starlite.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70868\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/operation-starlite.jpg.jpg 732w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/operation-starlite.jpg.jpg?resize=300,245 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Viet Cong prisoners await being carried by helicopter to rear area after Operation Starlite. (Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lance corporal had mere seconds to react to the man raising a rifle at his comrades. He fired his pistol so close to his own face that the slide smacked it, causing him to bleed. For a moment, he thought he\u2019d been shot himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The man disappeared. Plank raised further out of the hatch and saw another Viet Cong fighter and fired at him too. Then he saw a third, whom he also shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He then saw where they were coming from: a 6-foot-deep by 4-foot-wide trench covered in brush running parallel to his tank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI thought it was clear but there was still some activity in trench, could hear movement, see brush moving,\u201d Plank said in a 2019 interview for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Sga2vn4YSSU\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Marine Corps Tankers Association oral history project<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Standing atop his tank he could see down in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hearing chatter and movement, he knew but couldn\u2019t see who was in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI fired my pistol up and down where I thought they were, fired all three magazines, the ruckus settled down,\u201d Plank said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Out of rounds he looked to the rear, where he saw fellow Marine, <a href=\"https:\/\/valor.militarytimes.com\/hero\/2741\" target=\"_blank\">Cpl. Robert O\u2019Malley<\/a>, tending to the wounded in his infantry squad. The corporal\u2019s back was to the trench, brush continued moving as the crouched Viet Cong were moving down the line and toward them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI screamed at him, \u2018They\u2019re coming down the trench this way,\u2019\u201d Plank said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O\u2019Malley popped up and began firing his M14 into the trench. The corporal then leapt inside the trench and continued firing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plank could hardly believe the man\u2019s bravery. He hopped back inside his tank and yelled for more ammo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His crewmate tossed a 50-round box of .45-caliber rounds up to him and he began shoving them into his three empty magazines, ready to go back out to help O\u2019Malley, even if it meant going into the trench armed only with a pistol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plank could hear the M14 ripping on automatic fire and the blast of hand grenades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But within the scant minutes it took to reload and reemerge he saw <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cmohs.org\/recipients\/robert-e-omalley\" target=\"_blank\">O\u2019Malley<\/a> haul himself out of the trench, carrying an armful of enemy weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe had wiped them all out, saved a lot of lives,\u201d Plank said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After O\u2019Malley and his squad evacuated the fight, Plank\u2019s tank team continued \u2015 each of his crewmates were injured during the operation. Some were killed in action in the following days; one tank was completely disabled while others were shot up so bad they hardly were operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plank would celebrate his 19th birthday on the final day of Operation Starlite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A little more than a year later, O\u2019Malley would receive the <a href=\"https:\/\/valor.militarytimes.com\/hero\/2741\" target=\"_blank\">Medal of Honor<\/a> for fighting off the enemy as his wounded squad mates were evacuated from the firefight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly six decades later, Plank received his medal for actions that saved the corporal\u2019s life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lance Cpl. Milo Plank Jr.\u2019s actions likely saved the life of a Marine who would receive the Medal of Honor for his heroics in the same battle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":70866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["military-honor","salute-veterans","medal-of-honor","newsletters","good-news-report","your-military","news"],"primary_category":"military-honor"}}},"categories":[101,6,91,10,12,25,19,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3396],"class_list":["post-35738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-ebb","category-military-history","category-military-honor","category-news","category-newsletters","category-veterans","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"7P7RNAJ4SFEM3KZKGYPKJ3EVKI","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Six decades later, Marine Vietnam veteran awarded Silver Star - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lance Cpl. Milo Plank Jr.\u2019s actions likely saved the life of a Marine who would receive the Medal of Honor for his heroics in the same battle.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Six decades later, Marine Vietnam veteran awarded Silver Star\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lance Cpl. Milo Plank Jr.\u2019s actions likely saved the life of a Marine who would receive the Medal of Honor for his heroics in the same battle.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-10T18:39:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T21:00:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Todd South\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Todd South\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Six decades later, Marine Vietnam veteran awarded Silver Star\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2024-06-10T18:39:47+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T21:00:36+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 849,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Plank-SSM-pinning.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Early Bird Brief\",\n\t                \"Military History\",\n\t                \"Military Honor\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Veterans\",\n\t                \"Your Marine Corps\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Six decades later, Marine Vietnam veteran awarded Silver Star - Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Plank-SSM-pinning.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2024-06-10T18:39:47+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T21:00:36+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Lance Cpl. Milo Plank Jr.\u2019s actions likely saved the life of a Marine who would receive the Medal of Honor for his heroics in the same battle.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Plank-SSM-pinning.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Plank-SSM-pinning.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/10\\\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Veterans\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"veterans\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Six decades later, Marine Vietnam veteran awarded Silver Star\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Marine Corps Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Six decades later, Marine Vietnam veteran awarded Silver Star - Marine Corps Times","description":"Lance Cpl. Milo Plank Jr.\u2019s actions likely saved the life of a Marine who would receive the Medal of Honor for his heroics in the same battle.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Six decades later, Marine Vietnam veteran awarded Silver Star","og_description":"Lance Cpl. Milo Plank Jr.\u2019s actions likely saved the life of a Marine who would receive the Medal of Honor for his heroics in the same battle.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/","og_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","article_published_time":"2024-06-10T18:39:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T21:00:36+00:00","author":"Todd South","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Todd South","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Six decades later, Marine Vietnam veteran awarded Silver Star","datePublished":"2024-06-10T18:39:47+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T21:00:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/"},"wordCount":849,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Plank-SSM-pinning.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Early Bird Brief","Military History","Military Honor","News","Newsletters","Veterans","Your Marine Corps"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/","name":"Six decades later, Marine Vietnam veteran awarded Silver Star - Marine Corps Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Plank-SSM-pinning.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2024-06-10T18:39:47+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T21:00:36+00:00","description":"Lance Cpl. Milo Plank Jr.\u2019s actions likely saved the life of a Marine who would receive the Medal of Honor for his heroics in the same battle.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Plank-SSM-pinning.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Plank-SSM-pinning.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2024\/06\/10\/six-decades-later-marine-vietnam-veteran-awarded-silver-star\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Veterans","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/","ad_zone":"veterans"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Six decades later, Marine Vietnam veteran awarded Silver Star"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","name":"Marine Corps Times","description":"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization","name":"Marine Corps Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","caption":"Marine Corps Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Plank-SSM-pinning.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35738"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35743,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35738\/revisions\/35743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35738"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=35738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}