CAPTAIN THOMAS W. PUSSER

Captain Thomas Wilson Pusser is inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame for exemplary leadership and battlefield courage during the siege of the Plei Me Special Forces Camp in October 1965, Republic of South Vietnam. In October 1965, the Special Forces Camp at Plei Me in the II Corps area of South Vietnam was surrounded and under heavy attack by North Vietnamese troops. A Task Force from Project Delta, 5ih Special Forces Group was dispatched to the camp to provide relief. This Task Force included two Vietnamese Airborne Ranger Companies to which Ranger Pusser was the Senior Advisor. Once in the camp, a decision was made to deploy the two Ranger Companies to clear the slope north of the camp. When the Company he was moving with received intense machine gun fire, the South Vietnamese troops became confused and disorganized. At this time, Ranger Pusser began to move through the intense fire in an effort to assist the company commander to bring order to the situation. After he directed the movement of several wounded personnel to positions of safety, Ranger Pusser located the enemy machine gun position, and attempted to send an assault force to neutralize it. When the assault force lost all forward movement, Ranger Pusser, with complete disregard for his own safety, jumped to his feet, rallied the troops around him and charged the machine gun position. He was fatally wounded twenty five meters in front of the enemy machine gun position. Ranger Pusser was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions at Plei Me. Ranger Pusser's conspicuous gallantry in close-combat, are indicative of his leadership abilities, personal courage, and willingness to lead the way. They are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Ranger Community, and the U.S. Army.