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Herman Nagora
Enlisting in the U.S. Army at the age of seventeen in 1967 Herman’s Basic and Advanced
Infantry Training took place in Ft. Jackson, South Carolina. This was followed by jungle
warfare training at Ft. Riley, Kansas. Now, at the age of seventeen he found himself in the
jungles of Vietnam crawling through tunnels as a “tunnel rat” in Cu Chi. This continued for
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six months and then he was transferred to A Co of the 196 Light Infantry Brigade 2nd/1st
for the remainder of his one year tour in Vietnam. Point man, radio operator, and a
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machine gunner were among his roles with the 196 Infantry.
When his tour in Vietnam ended in 1968, and with wanting to make a career in the military,
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Herman re-enlisted. This led to his transfer to Germany with A Co 6 Infantry performing
security clearances in Berlin. This was a time when reinforcements were needed in
Vietnam. As such after six months on the European continent he was once again
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transferred to Vietnam assigned to the 1 Air Cavalry from 1969 – 1970 participating in
search and destroy missions.
Herman Nagora earned numerous awards during his four year military service. Among his
awards were:
x Bronze Star with V
x Purple Heart with 2 oak leaf clusters
x U.S. Army Air Medal
x Army Commendation with 2 oak leaf clusters
x Good Conduct Medal
x National Defense Medal
x Republic of Vietnam Service Medal with a Silver Star (5 campaigns)
x Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with bronze palm
x Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Medal with bronze palm
x Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
x Presidential Unit Citation with 2 oak leaf clusters
x Meritorious Unit Citation
x Valorous Unit Citation
x Republic of Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation
x Combat Infantry Badge
x Expert Rifle Badge
Section I 15