LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending veteran Sergeant David O. Barnum upon
the occasion of his designation as recipient of the Rev. F A Kelley Home
Town Hero Award by Chapter 38 of the Disabled American Veterans on May
16, 2015

WHEREAS, Members of the Armed Services from the State of New York, who
have served so valiantly and honorably in wars in which this country's
freedom was at stake, as well as in the preservation of peace in peace-
time, deserve a special salute from this Legislative Body and the people
of the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Residents of this great State must never forget the courage
with which these men and women have served their country; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend veteran
Sergeant David O. Barnum upon the occasion of his designation as recipi-
ent of the Rev. F A Kelley Home Town Hero Award by Chapter 38 of the
Disabled American Veterans, to be celebrated on Saturday, May 16, 2015;
and
WHEREAS, Sergeant David O. Barnum has exhibited his patriotism both at
home and abroad, demonstrating his love for his country and meriting
forevermore, the highest respect of his State and Nation; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant David O. Barnum served his country as a member of
the United States Army; from 1966-1968, he held the position of helicop-
ter door gunner with the Medevac Platoon, First Air Cavalry Division;
during his tenure, he was wounded twice during combat; and
WHEREAS, In the early morning hours of June 6, 1967, at LZ English,
Bong Son Province, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Viet Cong
launched a mortar and ground attack; before the medevac crews could
launch their choppers the ammo dump was hit by mortar rounds and
exploded, causing the men to seek cover; and
WHEREAS, Several soldiers were wounded during this attack, Specialist
David O. Barnum and a fellow crewmember located the wounded soldiers and
carried them to the safety of the communications bunker; shortly there-
after, they once again left the safety of their bunker to help another
stricken man; this time both men were wounded as a result of a large
explosion; and
WHEREAS, Despite their wounds both men brought the soldier to safety;
once there, they treated the man and themselves and reestablished commu-
nications with the battalion to inform them of their dire situation,
that all four medevac helicopters had been destroyed and at least 12 of
the 20 crew members had been wounded; and
WHEREAS, On another occasion in the An Lao Valley of Bong Son Prov-
ince, Sergeant David O. Barnum's helicopter was directed to what was
termed a "very hot" landing zone to extract two seriously wounded
soldiers; just as the wounded soldiers were boarded, the crew noticed
several soldiers struggling to carry a wounded man to the medevac heli-
copter; and
WHEREAS, Sensing the imminent danger, Sergeant David O. Barnum leaped
from his aircraft to hasten the rescue of the soldier, disregarding his
own safety and exposing himself to heavy small arms fire, he sped up the
recovery process and got the helicopter and crew out of harm's way; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant David O. Barnum earned several distinguished awards
and accolades for his heroism, including the Bronze Star, the Purple
Heart, and the Air Medal for Valor; and
WHEREAS, Our Nation's veterans such as Sergeant David O. Barnum
deserve to be recognized, commended and thanked by the people of the
State of New York for their service and for their dedication to their
communities, their State and their Nation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend veteran Sergeant David O. Barnum upon the occasion of his desig-
nation as recipient of the Rev. F A Kelley Home Town Hero Award by Chap-
ter 38 of the Disabled American Veterans on May 16, 2015; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Sergeant David O. Barnum.