Maximo Yabes
Maximo Yabes (born January 29, 1932 in Lodi , California ; † February 26, 1967 with Phú Hòa Ðông , Củ Chi ) was a First Sergeant in the United States Army who was fatally wounded during a combat mission in the Vietnam War and was awarded the Medal of Honor , was honored with the U.S. Forces highest honor for bravery.
biography
Yabes grew up in Oakridge, Oregon and attended Oakridge High School, after graduating in 1950 he joined the Army. He took part in the Vietnam War with A Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 25th US Infantry Division . In February 1967, the A Company provided security protection for a "defoliation operation" between the city of Củ Chi and a plantation. The vegetation there should be removed in order to take cover from snipers of the Viet Cong and to prevent ambushes.
The company was heavily harassed by an attack by the Viet Cong in the early morning of February 26th without warning. With the help of a mortar, the enemy succeeded in breaking through the barbed wire barn and attacking the soldiers' shelters directly. 1st Sgt. Yabes coordinated the defense and came to the aid of the beleaguered command post, which was already within range of enemy hand grenades . When a few hand grenades were thrown through the opening of the dugout, Yabes warned his comrades and used his body as a protective shield, sustaining serious wounds from countless metal fragments.
After preventing the command post from overrunning, he ran around 50 meters over open terrain into another shelter, where he took over the grenade launcher of a fallen comrade and was thus able to prevent the enemy from breaking into the barbed wire barrier again. After he had rescued two more wounded comrades from enemy fire and brought them to safety, he stormed towards the enemy's break-in point and destroyed a machine gun emplacement in close combat, but sustained fatal injuries.
According to the division report, 1st Sgt. Yabes' courage, leadership, and selflessness inspired his men to hold the positions. He was buried with full military honors in Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver . A memorial was erected for him in Greenwaters Park, Oakridge, and a street was named after him in El Paso ( Maximo Yabes Street ).
US President Lyndon B. Johnson invited his wife and children to the White House , where he posthumously awarded Maximo Yabes the Medal of Honor and handed it over to his family. His other awards include the Purple Heart and the Vietnam Cross of Valor with Palm Trees.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Yabes, Maximo |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American soldier |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 29, 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lodi |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 26, 1967 |
| Place of death | near Phú Hòa Ðông, South Vietnam |