I was sent to Vietnam on Christmas Eve, 1969 at the age of twenty. My MOS at the time was Finance Specialist. I arrived at Ben Hoa airport in Saigon. After a week of in processing I was sent to the Vinh Long Army Airfield located in the Mekong Delta. I was assigned to the 292nd Finance Section.
After 5 months of being in country I pulled guard duty May 5th, 1970 on one of the six foot high guard bunkers. It was in the early hours of the morning that Marty Jokerst and I saw movement along the canal. We called it in but was told not to fire unless fired upon. We watched three Viet Cong move slowly along the bank working their way down the perimeter away from us.
Two hours later I stood to stretch from sitting so long when I heard the familiar sound of a mortar leaving its tube. I yelled IN-COMING just as the first round landed next to me. The explosion lifted me in the air and I fell six feet to the ground hitting my head on the ground knocking me out briefly. When the round hit the loud explosion caused a loud ringing in my ears. As I was lifted into the air I felt hot metal hitting parts of my body. Then slammed into the ground.
When I came to, I could not hear anything but the loud ringing in my ears. It took me some time to get oriented to the situation as the enemy came across the barbed wire. I managed to defend the perimeter despite not being able to hear.
When it was over blood was running down my face and my uniform was spotted various places with patches of blood. It took 40 years to receive my Purple Heart even though the orders were cut in Vietnam. A fellow Finance Clerk found me on Facebook and told me that a rumor had been circulating in 71 that someone from the 292nd was awarded a Purple Heart.
PHOTO: Dennis Sheppard poses for a photograph in Vietnam
Image courtesy of U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center