Vietnam Veteran to Be Honored With Silver Star

Ralph Morgan, a 62-year-old Vietnam veteran will be pinned with the Silver Star Medal during a ceremony Tuesday, April 2, at USO Tampa Bay, at Tampa International Airport.

It will be the first such ceremony at the new USO Tampa Bay, which serves  veterans, active military service men and women, and their families.

Morgan of Parrish distinguished himself the night of June 4, 1971, when he intentionally moved around his outpost that was deep in enemy territory, drawing fire away from his platoon and toward himself. Morgan, an Army Special Forces radio operator, was able to hold off the enemy with just his M-16 rifle long enough for his platoon to retreat and be picked up by helicopter.

U.S. Sen Bill Nelson, a high-ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will attend the 11 a.m. ceremony.

The USO is on the second level of TIA, behind the British Airways ticket counter.

The Silver Star Medal is the military's third highest decoration for valor,
awarded specifically for gallantry in action against an enemy.