- ALVIN LEONARD HALVERSON
(Janesville, Wisconsin)
February 10, 1970
- Born in 1929, Alvin Halverson was a career Army soldier.
A Military Policeman, he had 20 years
- of service behind his belt….and had seen his share of
combat, senseless acts by fellow soldiers, and maintained the
highest level of "Protect and Serve."
- A true soldier, Alvin arrived in Vietnam in late March 1969,
just before his 40th birthday. He was
- assigned to the 18th MP Brigade (93rd MP Battalion) and attached
to the 127th MP Company. His duty would be unlike anything else
that he had done before.
- Situated in the Binh Dinh Province of South Vietnam, SSgt
Halverson was located at the Tuy Phouc
- river, a major waterway emptying in the harbor of Qui Nhon
city. It was the MP's primary responsibility to ensure the defense
of the city from enemy infiltration. The Tuy Phouc river had
hundreds of channels feeding into it that needed to be checked
out daily, and the MP's were sarcastically know as the "Waterborne
Assault-Reconnaissance Team"--or WART's for short.
- Patrols were done in 16-foot rivercraft, with groups of Patrol
Boats, River (PBR's). Shaped similar
- to Boston whalers, they would wind in and out of the channels
to guard the waterways and interdict Viet Cong sappers that were
constantly sneaking into the area.
- In Rick Young's book Combat Police: U.S. Army Military
Police in Vietnam, he tells of an
- incident in September 1969 where SSgt Halverson had rushed
down the river to rescue another boat that was being ambushed.
Another life saved, and it was just another day in 'Nam for Alvin.
- According to men that served with him, SSgt Halverson was
one tough soldier. Highly respected
- by his troops, he kept defying incompetence from Officers
he served under. There are numerous stories where he would challenge
tactics, and sometimes orders, by these leaders - having the
experience and commitment to keeping his soldiers alive. He would
be demoted, the Officer would rotate out, be promoted and then
demoted again. Lives were always more important to him than rank.
Many 20 year olds back then are alive today due to his actions
and efforts.
- But fate sometimes has an eerie way of taking control. After
a long day on the PBR's, Alvin came
- back to Qui Nhon and had another of his many confrontations.
With less than 2 months to serve on his tour, Alvin died of a
heart-attack in his sleep at age 40. It had a profound effect
on all that were there, and everyone attended the Memorial Service.
-
- Alvin Halverson's name is on the Vietnam Wall at Panel 14W,
line 121.
-
- Editors note: A total of 274 men died of heart-attacks in
Vietnam - ranging in ages from 18 to 62. The latter, with the
USN, was the oldest man to die for his country over there.
|
