Enrique Salas Cruz
Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army

On 30 June 1966, Staff Sergeant Enrique Salas Cruz was serving with Troop B, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, in South Vietnam.

On that day, SSG Cruz was track commander of the last vehicle in a column movement during a search and destroy mission along Highway 13. When his unit received intense hostile fire from a Viet Cong regiment, SSG Cruz observed that the insurgents were closing in from the rear in an attempt to cut off the column. He immediately swung his track around and delivered suppressive fire onto the attacking Viet Cong. For more than an hour, he prevented the insurgent force from breaching the rear of the column. When a nearby tank was hit by hostile fire that killed the tank commander and wounded the 3 crew members, SSG Cruz rushed to the burning tank, pulled out all 3 crewmen, and carried them to the cover of his armored personnel carrier. He then administered first aid to his wounded comrades and took them to the evacuation area. Although he was wounded while pulling the wounded soldiers from the vehicle, SSG Cruz refused to be evacuated. Instead, he re-supplied his carrier with ammunition and returned to the front of the battle area to provide covering fire for evacuation of the wounded. When his machine gun barrel melted due to the intense rate of fire, he jumped from his tank and secured another weapon from a disabled carrier. Wounded a second time, he again refused to be evacuated. When the Viet Cong fire subsided, SSG Cruz maneuvered his vehicle to the rear and evacuated his wounded comrades. He then re-supplied his track with ammunition, returned to the battle area, and remained there until the end of the engagement. SSG Cruz's extraordinary heroism earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

On 27 February 1969, SSG Cruz was serving with Company I, 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger), 1st Infantry Division. On that day he died from wounds sustained from small arms fire during a firefight in Hau Nghia Province.

Medals, Awards, Badges & Tabs

Distinguished Service Cross
Silver Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal (Merit)
Purple Heart with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Medal
Army Good Conduct Medal with Bronze Knot
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge
Parachutist Badge
Ranger Tab

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Staff Sergeant Enrique S. Cruz (ASN: RA-50010125), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Troop B, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division. On 30 June 1966, Staff Sergeant Cruz was serving as a track commander of the last vehicle in a column movement during a search and destroy mission along Highway 13. When his unit received intense hostile fire from a Viet Cong regiment, Staff Sergeant Cruz observed that the insurgents were closing in from the rear in an attempt to cut off the column. He immediately swung his track around and delivered suppressive fire onto the attacking Viet Cong. For more than an hour, he prevented the insurgent force from breaching the rear of the column. When a nearby tank was hit by hostile fire which killed the tank commander and wounded the three crew members, Staff Sergeant Cruz, with complete disregard for his safety, rushed to the burning tank, pulled out all three stricken crewmen, and carried them to the cover of his armored personnel carrier. He then administered first aid to his wounded comrades and took them to the evacuation area. Although he was wounded while pulling the wounded soldiers from the vehicle, Staff Sergeant Cruz refused to be evacuated. Instead, he re-supplied his carrier with ammunition and returned to the front of the battle area to provide covering fire for the evacuation of the wounded. When his machine gun barrel melted due to the intense rate of fire, he jumped from his tank and secured another weapon from a disabled carrier. He refused to be evacuated when wounded a second time. When the Viet Cong fire subsided, Staff Sergeant Cruz maneuvered his vehicle to the rear and evacuated his wounded comrades. He then re-supplied his track with ammunition, returned to the battle area, and remained there until the end of the engagement. Staff Sergeant Cruz's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 5937 (October 6, 1966)

Honors

The name Enrique S Cruz is located on Panel 31W Line 78 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Burial

Staff Sergeant Enrique Salas Cruz is buried at the Guam Veterans Cemetery in Piti, Guam.

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