Gary Ralph Schwellenbach-Barnard
| Born | June 15, 1948 |
| Died | December 27, 1967 |
| Service Branch | Army |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Rating or Job | Airborne Medic |
| Unit | 173rd Airborne |
| Campaign | Viet Nam |
| Military Citations | Purple Heart, Distinguished Service Cross |
| Honors | |
| Family | |
| Notes | Cpl. Gary Ralph
Schwellenbach-Barnard
June 15, 1948 - Dec. 27, 1967
Chico Gary Schwellenbach-Barnard joined the Army in August 1966. He completed airborne training and medics school and was shipped to Vietnam in September 1967.
On Dec. 27, Schwellenbach-Barnard made a helicopter assault with his unit, the 173rd Airborne, near the coastal town of Tuy Hoa, 250 miles north of Saigon.
The troops jumped off the choppers into an enemy-held landing zone where the Viet Cong were dug in and waiting. In the barrage of heavy sniper and automatic weapons fire, Schwellenbach-Barnard was immediately wounded.
But, according to an account accompanying a medal citation, “with complete disregard for his own safety he moved into the most intense area of fire” and brought fallen comrades to safety. He was wounded a second time, refuse aid, and continued to help wounded men.
Schwellenbach-Barnard received his third and fatal wound while he was trying to save the life of another man.
For his “gallantry, heroism and intrepidity” the Chico soldier received a posthumous Distinguished Service Cross. The DSC is one of the U.S. Army’s rarest medals and only awarded for “extraordinary heroism.”
Gary Schwellenbach-Barnard lived in Chico all his life and loved fishing and motorcycling.
Courtesy Chico News & Review, May 26, 1988
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| Sources | National Archives Chico News & Review |
| Mementos | |
