Dean-Lee-Frey

DEAN LEE "BUDDY" FREY

SSG Dean L. Frey arrived in Vietnam November 2, 1969 and was assigned to A/2-501 IN. KIA: 04/19/1970 Panel: 11W Line: 024.

MEDALS AND AWARDS

Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart Medal
Army Commendation Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge

Unit Awards & Citations:

RVN Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation

PHOTOS

SSGT - E6 - Army - Oceanside, CA. Selective Service, 101st Airborne Division. Length of service 1 years. His tour began on Nov 2, 1969. Casualty was on Apr 19, 1970 in THUA THIEN, SOUTH VIETNAM. HOSTILE, GROUND CASUALTY, GUN, SMALL ARMS FIRE. Body was recovered. Panel 11W - Line 24

BIRTH 30 Jul 1948, Los Angeles County, California, USA
DEATH 19 Apr 1970 (aged 21), Vietnam

BURIAL - Eternal Hills Memorial Park, Oceanside, San Diego County, California, USA
PLOT Olive section, Block 45, MEMORIAL ID 10202602

OBITUARY

I was unable to find an obituary. Dean was a 1966 graduate of Oceanside High School.

NOTES FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Ed Mitchell posted this note on our Facebook group on 4-18-2021:

19 April 1970-IN MEMORIUM:

SSG DEAN LEE FREY; A Company, 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment; killed-in-action from gun or small arms fire 19 April 1970 vicinity MGRS grid YD363161; MOS 11C (Indirect Fire Infantryman); Ocean City, California.

On the 18th, as my CP was returning from the fight in the glulch that had cost the lives of two of our “brothers”, I turned to Russ Cook (our FO) and I told him I wanted all the artillery he could muster, both 105 and 155mm, to attack suspected enemy positions dug in vicinity YD 361155 (on the northwest side of the trail intersecting the Khe Ouaun stream). I also told him to develop an indirect fire plan to support an A Company attack on the 19th to kill or capture NVA forces, destroy their cache sites, and fortified positions with preparatory fires to begin no later than last light on the 18th...we would pound them relentlessly all night! (I had no idea that Russ would be “relieved” as our FO early morning on the 19th and we received 1LT Jim Norman as our new FO replacement on a Division Artillery OH-6 that landed on our LZ, unannounced). We also had a new battalion commander effective 18 April...LTC O. T. Livingston replaced LTC (now MG, Retired) B. F Brashears.

By mid morning on the 19th, A Company was attacking south along the trail leading down to the Khe Ouaun stream with platoons in column; LT Dave Poole’s 3rd Platoon led the attack followed by LT Jim Kwiecien’s 2st Platoon and LT Jim Knight’s 1st Platoon held REUP HIll and was our reserve. As usual, my CP and I moved with the second platoon in the order of march and we moved slowly and cautiously down to the NVA base area below. During one of the frequent halts in our descent, SSG Dean Frey (a 3rd Plt Squad Leader) came back to my location to share information on their progress. While he and I were talking, the lead elements of 3rd Platoon made contact with the NVA and Dean’s last words to me were “I’ve got to get back to my Squad” as he dashed back down to join his men. Within no more than two minutes LT Poole called me with a casualty report stating he had one man seriously wounded (SGT Cox, as I recall) and SSG Dean Frey had been killed by small arms fire almost immediately after rejoining his Squad. LT Poole also reported that the NVA were fighting from an undetermined number of large bunkered A-frame fighting positions however, within 10-15 minutes they had either been killed or had withdrawn leaving numerous blood trails down to the stream bed. Given that it was getting late on the 19th, I made the decision to return to our base area and cover our return with Cobras and more indirect fire. (I directed Jim Norman, our new FO, to begin pounding the bunker complex as soon as we were a safe distance away and continue hitting it all night on the 19th). Elements of A Company would return with demolitions on the 20th to the now artillery-pulverized bunker complex and complete its destruction. (For the record, I did not ask for a count of dead NVA soldiers in any “contact” nor did I ever order a search for enemy dead despite “command interest” in the numbers, however I knew, given the physical evidence on the site, that many NVA troops had to have lost their lives in this fight.

Lastly, we all mourned the loss of SSG Frey. He had recently joined us from the 1st Infantry Division and his leadership was welcomed in A Company. May this great warrior-leader forever Rest In Peace.