A Note from The Virtual Wall
The 4/503rd was rapidly deployed to the Central Highlands after the
Battle of the Slopes.
On 10 July, while moving up Hill 830 about 12 kilometers southeast of Ben Het, A Company came under intense fire from an entrenched Viet Cong main force battalion. On 12 July, after taking the hill, D Company discovered a single network consisting of 60 bunkers with supporting foxholes. In short order, two more bunker complexes were discovered.
The fighting on 10 July cost 26 American lives; eleven of the dead were from A Company, 4/503rd:
- 1LT Daniel W. Jordan, Griffith, IN (Dist Svc Cross)
- SFC Myron S. Beach, Elmira, NY
- SGT David P. Crozier, Baltimore, MD
- SGT William J. Deuerling, New Smyrna Beach, FL
- SP4 Roger W. Clark, Pittsfield, VT
- SP4 Arthur A. Erwin, Eugene, OR
- SP4 Oris L. Poole, Screven, GA
- SP4 Walter A. Samans, Richmond, VA
- SP4 Franklin S. Shepherd, North Wilkesboro, NC
- PFC John C. Borowski, Chicago, IL (Dist Svc Cross)
- PFC David H. Johnson, Jonesboro, AR
HQ US ARMY, VIETNAM,
APO San Francisco 96375
21 September 1967
GENERAL ORDERS
NUMBER 4802
AWARD OF THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS
1. TC 320. The following AWARD is announced posthumously.
DANIEL WALTER JORDAN, 1st Lieutenant, Infantry
Company A, 4th Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment
| Awarded: |
Distinguished Service Cross |
| Date action: |
10 July 1967 |
| Theater: |
Republic of Vietnam |
| Reason: |
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Daniel Walter Jordan, First Lieutenant (Infantry), U.S. 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 A, 4th Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate). First Lieutenant Jordan distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 10 July 1967 while serving as platoon leader of an airborne infantry platoon on a combat mission near Dak To. Late in the afternoon, the lead platoon of Lieutenant Jordan's company was attacked and pinned down by heavy automatic weapons fire from a well-entrenched Viet Cong force. He received an order to maneuver his men in a flank attack on the insurgents to relieve the attack pressure on the engaged element. Because of poor radio contact, he was forced to run through areas exposed to hostile fire to coordinate with his commander. He then returned to his men and braved constant hostile fire to organize his men and lead them forward. For a half hour, Lieutenant Jordan made repeated trips to the command post to report his element's progress and receive instructions. He moved among his men, calming and encouraging them, although this forced him to expose himself many times to the enemy's weapons. Under his leadership, the platoon was able to advance to a position from which to assault the Viet Cong machine gun positions. While courageously leading his men against the numerically superior insurgent force, he was mortally wounded. First Lieutenant Jordan'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.
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