SPC/4 Ronald P. "Ronnie" O'Rourke
Miami Herald Sunday, December 31, 1972 page 5-B
Here's the information I've been able to compile thus far. Note that anything that is either speculative or not properly sourced will be in italics. Specialist 4 O'Rourke, US Army was an infantryman attached to Charlie Co. 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, United States Army Republic of Vietnam (USARV). Ronnie attended Hialeah High School. His parents were J. Vincent (one Herald caption suggests his father's name was Ronald as well??) and Doris O'Rourke of 241 N. Melrose Drive in Miami Springs, and he left nine siblings, six brothers and three sisters. Ronald arrived in Southeast Asia on March 27, 1966 to begin his tour of duty. Later in April of 1966, O'Rourke's unit was ambushed and pinned down in a firefight, and he leapt up and charged into high grass, firing. A Viet Cong machine gun opened up on him, but missed. His diversion gave his buddies time to drag the wounded to safety. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor for his actions. Fighting in Binh Duong Province, directly North of the capital city of Saigon, he was killed August 25, 1966 in an enemy mortar barrage. He was struck in the chest and died instantly. He was 19. While a 1975 Herald article reported that Ronnie is buried at Flagler Memorial Park in Miami, I located his headstone on findagrave.com and he appears to be interred at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL - and he is honored on the National Vietnam Memorial, at Panel 10E, Line 042 If you have photos, memorabilia, or further information regarding Ronald's life and his service, please let me know, you can email to springsobserver@gmail.com. |
Photo: Cheryl Behrend, FindaGrave.com
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