Rock County, WisconsinBiographies"Timothy Charles Agard" |
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TIMOTHY CHARLES AGARD SP4 Timothy Agard was born July 13, 1948. He arrived in Vietnam on October 20, 1967. Based in the Mekong Delta area, just south of Saigon, Tim was attached to the Ninth Infantry Division (Old Reliables), Headquarters Company, 5th Battalion, 60th Infantry. The 5/60 Unit was one of two Mechanized groups attached to the Ninth at the time. These consisted of Armored Personnel Carriers (APC's known as 'tracks') and were consistently used in combat offensive tactics along with other Infantrymen. Tim was wounded in a combat firefight late at night on February 16, 1968. Although Tim's training was as a Corrections Specialist for the Army, everyone in Vietnam was prepared to be used in both offensive and defensive actions as needed. Tim was called into a combat mission that day. According to an eyewitness report, Tim died for his country with valor: On February 16, 1968, HHC/5/60 was pulling security for a fire support base (Artillery Compound) outside of a town called Cai Lay in Long An Province. We had responded to one of the Infantry Line Companies that was in a running firefight with an unknown size enemy force. We were part of a recon group attached to Headquarters. When we arrived on the scene and joined the other Company, they had lost contact with the VC, so we got off our 'tracks' and started to go across the rice paddy. This was just around midnight. Tim (Agard) was on my right, and a black soldier by the name of (Cpl) Cullen Quin was on my left. We had gone about 150 yards and Tim was walking beside a dike about 15 yards to my right. Suddenly, he screamed "Ambush" and as I swung to my right a VC was firing into Tim at point blank range. I shot the gook and than another one popped up and we shot each other. I was paralyzed from the waist down from the impact of the bullet. I tried to crawl over to Tim, but the firefight was so heavy I could not get to him. Quin, who was on my left and a guy by the name of (PFC Gerald) Milbrodt were also killed soon thereafter. I crawled back toward the road using my elbows and finally got back, but I don't know how long it took - as it seemed like forever. The firefight went on until almost daybreak when I was put on a Dustoff (helicopter evacuation) with other wounded. I was told later that the VC enemy force was very large and that 5/60 was responsible for a large enemy killed that night. (Later reports show the size to exceed 500 enemy). I will never forget this night and I believe that Tim saved
my life. He will always be a part of my life and I have visited
him at the Wall several times. After evacuation back to the Army Field Hospital, Timothy Agard died of his wounds on February 19, 1968.  |
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