Norman Earl Baldwin was born on January 6, 1947 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. A 1965 graduate of Northeast High School, he was a Captain in the U.S. Army Special Forces. Earl was killed by small arms fire on August 25, 1968 in Quang Duc Province, Vietnam. He was 21 years old.
Earl was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on October 1, 1968 for:
...extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam: Captain Baldwin distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 25 August 1968 as the commander of a mobile strike force company engaged in relieving the besieged Duc Lap Special Forces camp. During as assault on a hill occupied by an estimated North Vietnamese Army company, he found himself alone and under intense enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire. Shouting encouragement to his men to follow him, he rushed forward and single-handedly wiped out an enemy bunker, killing three aggressors. Seeing this heroic act on the part of their commander, his troops began to advance. Twenty feet from the crest of the hill Captain Baldwin and his company came under a withering barrage of small arms and automatic weapons fire from hostile positions southwest of their line of assault. Captain Baldwin placed a burst of fire on the enemy emplacements from an exposed position, inspiring his men to also locate and bring fire against them. He continued to lead the assault in the face of a hail of bullets, and when he had nearly reached the top of the hill he was mortally wounded by the North Vietnamese fusillade. Captain Baldwin'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.
Earl was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on October 1, 1968 for:
...extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam: Captain Baldwin distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 25 August 1968 as the commander of a mobile strike force company engaged in relieving the besieged Duc Lap Special Forces camp. During as assault on a hill occupied by an estimated North Vietnamese Army company, he found himself alone and under intense enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire. Shouting encouragement to his men to follow him, he rushed forward and single-handedly wiped out an enemy bunker, killing three aggressors. Seeing this heroic act on the part of their commander, his troops began to advance. Twenty feet from the crest of the hill Captain Baldwin and his company came under a withering barrage of small arms and automatic weapons fire from hostile positions southwest of their line of assault. Captain Baldwin placed a burst of fire on the enemy emplacements from an exposed position, inspiring his men to also locate and bring fire against them. He continued to lead the assault in the face of a hail of bullets, and when he had nearly reached the top of the hill he was mortally wounded by the North Vietnamese fusillade. Captain Baldwin'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.
Norman Earl Baldwin was born on January 6, 1947 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. A 1965 graduate of Northeast High School, he was a Captain in the U.S. Army Special Forces. Earl was killed by small arms fire on August 25, 1968 in Quang Duc Province, Vietnam. He was 21 years old.
Earl was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on October 1, 1968 for:
...extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam: Captain Baldwin distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 25 August 1968 as the commander of a mobile strike force company engaged in relieving the besieged Duc Lap Special Forces camp. During as assault on a hill occupied by an estimated North Vietnamese Army company, he found himself alone and under intense enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire. Shouting encouragement to his men to follow him, he rushed forward and single-handedly wiped out an enemy bunker, killing three aggressors. Seeing this heroic act on the part of their commander, his troops began to advance. Twenty feet from the crest of the hill Captain Baldwin and his company came under a withering barrage of small arms and automatic weapons fire from hostile positions southwest of their line of assault. Captain Baldwin placed a burst of fire on the enemy emplacements from an exposed position, inspiring his men to also locate and bring fire against them. He continued to lead the assault in the face of a hail of bullets, and when he had nearly reached the top of the hill he was mortally wounded by the North Vietnamese fusillade. Captain Baldwin'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.
Earl was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on October 1, 1968 for:
...extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam: Captain Baldwin distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 25 August 1968 as the commander of a mobile strike force company engaged in relieving the besieged Duc Lap Special Forces camp. During as assault on a hill occupied by an estimated North Vietnamese Army company, he found himself alone and under intense enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire. Shouting encouragement to his men to follow him, he rushed forward and single-handedly wiped out an enemy bunker, killing three aggressors. Seeing this heroic act on the part of their commander, his troops began to advance. Twenty feet from the crest of the hill Captain Baldwin and his company came under a withering barrage of small arms and automatic weapons fire from hostile positions southwest of their line of assault. Captain Baldwin placed a burst of fire on the enemy emplacements from an exposed position, inspiring his men to also locate and bring fire against them. He continued to lead the assault in the face of a hail of bullets, and when he had nearly reached the top of the hill he was mortally wounded by the North Vietnamese fusillade. Captain Baldwin'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.
