The Wall › Panel 16W › Minnesota › Robert Joseph Pruden
ROBERT JOSEPH PRUDEN
Staff Sergeant · U.S. Army
September 9, 1949 – November 20, 1969
Medal of Honor StoryPortrait: U.S. armed forces, via Wikimedia Commons.
Robert Joseph Pruden, of St Paul, Minnesota, served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He died on November 20, 1969, in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 16W, Line 102 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Medal of Honor · awarded posthumously
For conspicuous gallantry
Robert Joseph Pruden received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions on November 29, 1969. The official citation reads:
Staff Sergeant Pruden's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Pruden, Company G, distinguished himself while serving as a reconnaissance team leader during an ambush mission. The 6-man team was inserted by helicopter into enemy-controlled territory to establish an ambush position and to obtain information concerning enemy movements. As the team moved into the preplanned area, S/Sgt. Pruden deployed his men into 2 groups on the opposite sides of a well used trail. As the groups were establishing their defensive positions, 1 member of the team was trapped in the open by the heavy fire from an enemy squad. Realizing that the ambush position had been compromised, S/Sgt. Pruden directed his team to open fire on the enemy force. Immediately, the team came under heavy fire from a second enemy element. S/Sgt. Pruden, with full knowledge of the extreme danger involved, left his concealed position and, firing as he ran, advanced toward the enemy to draw the hostile fire. He was seriously wounded twice but continued his attack until he fell for a third time, in front of the enemy positions. S/Sgt. Pruden's actions resulted in several enemy casualties and withdrawal of the remaining enemy force. Although grievously wounded, he directed his men into defensive positions and called for evacuation helicopters, which safely withdrew the members of the team. S/Sgt. Pruden's outstanding courage, selfless concern for the welfare of his men, and intrepidity in action 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 U.S. Army.
Citation text as reproduced in Wikipedia’s article on Robert Joseph Pruden; Medal of Honor citations are official U.S. government records. See also the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and all Medal of Honor recipients on the Wall.
On the Wall
Panel 16W · Line 102
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
Remember
Did you know him? Family members and friends are invited to share a photograph or a memory. Nothing is posted until it has been reviewed.
Service
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Rank
- Staff Sergeant (SSG)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantry Operations And Intelligence Specialist (11F)
- Unit (as recorded)
- AMERICAL DIV
- Born
- September 9, 1949
- Home of record
- St Paul, Minnesota (Ramsey County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- November 20, 1969
- Age
- 20
- Province
- Quang Ngai
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Small Arms Fire
Context · from the records
What was happening
34 names on the Wall carry the date November 20, 1969; he was the only one lost in Quảng Ngãi Province that day. In November 1969, 660 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The Americal Division, his unit in the record, lost 14 of its members that month.
Read the history
Also on Panel 16W, Line 102
- GUY EDWIN MCKEAN JRSergeant · November 20, 1969
- ROBERT MARION NEWBERGSpecialist Four · November 20, 1969
- JOSEPH CRAIG PETERSSergeant · November 20, 1969
- ROGER STEVEN POWERSSergeant · November 20, 1969
From St Paul
- RAYMOND CHARLES WILDEChief Warrant Officer 2 · January 11, 1963
- DAVID MICHAEL HALBAUERStaff Sergeant · October 13, 1965
- JOHN CALVIN ELZY IIIPrivate First Class · November 16, 1965
- ROBERT E WALDVOGELSpecialist Four · November 17, 1965
- ARLIN ROGER JENSENSpecialist Four · November 19, 1965
- JOHN WALTER WILSON JRPrivate First Class · December 10, 1965
- KALE ARLAN SOLBERGPrivate First Class · February 1, 1966
- JOSEPH SAMUEL HERRONPrivate First Class · March 4, 1966
- DAVID JOSEPH KERNPrivate First Class · April 1, 1966
- LAVERN GEORGE REILLYColonel · May 15, 1966
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. The Medal of Honor citation above is the official account of his actions. See something wrong? Report a correction.