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Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Pruden, Medal of Honor recipient.
Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Pruden takes a minute to rest while serving in Vietnam.
Episode 2713 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Vietnam Vet Army Staff Sgt. Robert Pruden and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Army Staff Sgt. Robert Pruden. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.
Lange, in her story, reported that Army Staff Sgt. Robert Pruden volunteered to join the Army as the Vietnam War raged because he’d told his family he wanted to make a difference there. Pruden never returned from war, but he did make all the difference to the men in his unit who were able to come home because of him. For that selfless sacrifice, he earned the Medal of Honor.
Pruden was born Sept. 9, 1949, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was the second son to Lawrence and Marlys Pruden, who went on to have 11 more kids – four more boys and seven girls. As one of the elder children, Pruden helped out around the house, but he also had time to enjoy life, playing baseball, football and hockey.
Not long after Pruden graduated from Harding High School in 1967, he joined the Army. He went on to complete Ranger school and joined the Rangers of the 75th Infantry Regiment. His unit, Company G, was sent to Vietnam in early February 1969.
On Nov. 29, 1969, Pruden, a reconnaissance team leader, was on duty in the Quang Ngai Province of South Vietnam. His six-man team had been inserted by helicopter into Viet Cong-controlled territory. Their mission was to gain intelligence on enemy movements and set up an ambush position.
Listen to episode 2713 and discover more about Vietnam War Army Staff Sgt. Robert Prude and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.
