Mario Juan Mendias

Specialist Four
B CO, 1ST BN, 26TH INF RGT, 1 INF DIV
Army of the United States
10 January 1948 - 02 March 1969
Marfa, Texas
Panel 30W Line 014

1 INF DIV 26TH INF RGT
Combat Infantry

Bronze Star (2 awards), Purple Heart, Good Conduct, National Defense, Vietnam Service, RVN Military Merit, RVN Campaign
Mario J Mendias

The database page for Mario Juan Mendias

25 Apr 2004

Mario was a 1966 graduate of Marfa High School, Marfa, Texas. He was a life time resident. He was in his junior year at Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas, when he decided to volunteer for the draft. He had played in the Marfa High School Band in high school, also played the guitar and enjoyed riding horses.

He was trained as an infantryman and started his tour in Vietnam in January 1969. He was in his second month in Vietnam when he was killed by multiple fragmentation wounds. He was serving as the point man on a reconnaissance-in-force operation near Lai Khe when he sighted a well fortified enemy position, simultaneously warning his comrades. With complete disregard for his own safety, he braved hostile fire as he neutralized one enemy position with automatic rifle fire while standing in the aggressors' killing zone. Undaunted by the enemy fire, he threw hand grenades to mark the position further. He was mortally wounded by an enemy RPG when he attempted to move to a more secure postion. He was awarded a posthumous Bronze Star Medal with "V" device.

He is remembered on the Permian Basin Vietnam Memorial located at Midland International Airport, Midland, Texas.

From a PBVVM representative,
Billy M. Brown
bmbrown@grandecom.net

26 Jul 2005

God Bless our American Soldiers
and the Americans that support them.
God Bless America!

From the Mendias Family
johnny_perl@hotmail.com





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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Last updated 08/10/2009