CPL MICHAEL EUGENE RANDALL Sr

 

22 Mar 2001 Mike was the greatest guy. We were married only 34 days after we met. We ran away to get married and I always knew he loved me because of the following. We were driving out of the state of Indiana (headed to Tennessee) with his mother. I had been sleeping in the front seat of the car (an Edsel); the car hit a hard bump and woke me a little. Just as I started to go back to sleep, his mother said, "Maybe you should take her back home". I froze! Mike's next answer said everything "Mom, I would rather be dead then live another day without Patty, I love her that much". (I was the luckiest person on the earth!) I got pregnant on our wedding night, so 9 1/2 months later we had Michael E. Randall, Jr. Mike was so excited. Then 4 months later I'm pregnant again, which resulted in our daughter (Michele). He always told me "You're as fertile as the Napa Valley". I love to keep the house warm (by my standards, but hot by others'). Mike would tell me "You must know where you're going when you die, because you're getting ready now". Mike liked to play the drums and sing. When we would go down the road in the car he was always pretending he was playing, and sang to me. He was everything parents did not want for their daughter (in appearances). He had a Beatle haircut, pegged pants, black leather jacket, and smoked. When he asked me out I said, "You will need to have a shave and haircut, plus change into better clothes or I can't get out the front door". Would you believe when he came to get me he had done all that and more. I knew he was really respectful of me. He was a non-union block and brick mason, he said that way he could show people what he did for a living. If he worked in an office or factory he could only show us where he worked, not what he created. When Mike told me he had enlisted, he said, "I want to be sure you and little baby man are safe. I would rather fight over there, than here in this country. I want to be sure you and the babies are taken care of, if anything happens to me. You need to know if I can't come back with all my body parts I don't want to come back." I can truly say I had a great love at least once in my life. Patricia J. Randall Bzock1@gmail.com Mike never saw our daughter, Michele, pictured as an adult. Mike picked her name before he left for Vietnam - he said he just knew it would be a girl. Our only daughter was born October 9, 1968, on our second anniversary. In Vietnam, where it was October 10, 1968, Mike Randall was killed in action. Nor of course his grandchildren First grandson, Michael Eugene Randall, III Second grandson, Nicolas Shawn Doolin First granddaughter, Lauren Nicole Doolin Nicholas, Michele, Lauren, and Raymond August 2002

 

05 Jul 2006 I first met Michael E. Randall Jr, Michael E. Randall Sr's only son, in 1989 and our paths didn't meet up again til May of 2001, when we had our first date. The thing I remember about this date was how much he talked about his father and how he died fighting for this country and saving two of his war buddies. I could tell right away that he missed his father greatly. He told me the story of how his dad would tap on his bedroom window to get Mike to roll over in his crib. When 9/11 happened Patty, Mike and Michael (Michael, Jr - son) all went to Washington. I remember Mike talking about seeing his father's name on the Wall and where it was at. He knew what panel and what row his dad's name was on. Mike and I were married on Jan 15, 2005. After listening to all the stories from Patty about Mike's dad and knowing Mike as long as I have known him, I see a lot of Michael Sr in Michael Jr. But those are all the traits that I love about him. I knew after the first date he would be my husband. He truly cares about me as his dad cared about Patty. From his daughter-in-law, Marjean Randall 1754 Huffman Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45403 randall1152005@sbcglobal.net

 

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY HEADQUARTERS, UNITED STATES ARMY VIETNAM APO San Francisco 96375 5 February 1969 GENERAL ORDERS NUMBER 409 AWARD OF THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS 1. TC 320. The following AWARD is announced posthumously. RANDALL, MICHAEL E. SR., RA58009673 CORPORAL (then PFC) United States Army, Company A, 2d Battalion, 12th Infantry Awarded: Distinguished Service Cross Date action: 10 October 1968 Theater: Republic of Vietnam Reason: For extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam: Private First Class Randall distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 10 October 1968 while serving as a machine gunner during a reconnaissance-in-force mission, Private Randall's company came under heavy small arms and automatic weapons fire from a fortified Viet Cong base camp. His platoon was pinned down and his squad leader and point man lay wounded in an open field, entirely exposed to the enemy barrage. With complete disregard for his safety, he advanced through the communists' cross fire to the front of the platoon and kept a steady fusfillade on the enemy positions, allowing his comrades to evacuate the wounded men. Continuing his one man assault, Private Randall concentrated his fire directly into the hostile bunker's gun port until another concealed enemy position opened fire, wounding him and damaging his machine gun. After returning to his platoon to secure a rifle, he advanced on the second Viet Cong fortification, killing the two occupants. Although suffering from his wounds, he took grenades from his ammunition pouches and ran across an open area toward an enemy machine gun position that had his platoon pinned down. As Private Randall was tossing a grenade into the enemy bunker, the Viet Cong opened fire and he was mortally wounded. Private First Class Randall's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army. Authority: By direction of the President, under the provision of the Act of Congress, approved 25 July 1963. A Note from The Virtual Wall On 10 Oct 1968 Alpha Company 2/12 Infantry was conducting a recon-in-force about 2 kilometers northwest of Trang Bang, Hau Nghia Province. As the lead platoon approached the hamlet of Xa Lom Vo the point squad came under murderous small arms and automatic weapons fire from a treeline, killing or wounding several men, one of who - SP4 E. A. Handrahan, the left point - fell in a position where he could not be seen by his comrades or by the command and control helicopter. Despite repeated efforts, which resulted in additional US casualties, three of the men hit in the intial exchange of fires could not be recovered - Handrahan, who could not be seen but who was calling out, and two others who lay motionless. The platoon leader pulled his men back so that aircraft could work the treeline while the rest of Alpha 2/12 deployed. As the day progressed, it became clear to the ground commander that all three of his trapped men had died, and heavier air strikes were called as the company formed a night defensive perimeter. At daybreak Alpha reentered the engagement area and recovered the bodies of the two men who had fallen in the open. The area where Handrahan went down had been hit by bombs and his body was not found. Three of the five dead were awarded posthumous Distinguished Service Crosses, all for their efforts to protect and recover the men hit by the initial fires. The five men were SGT Baynes B. McSwain, San Marcos, TX (Dist Svc Cross) SP4 Stanley G. Denisowski, Utica, NY (Dist Svc Cross) SP4 Eugene A. Handrahan, St Paul, MN PFC Michael E. Evans, Greensboro, GA PFC Michael E. Randall, Noblesville, IN (Dist Svc Cross)

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