Robert William Schultz

Robert William Schultz grew up in Clinton and joined the Army right out of high school. His worked as an infantry direct fire crewman and he achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant. SSGT Schultz deployed to South Vietnam in December 1967 and served with the Recon Platoon, Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry in the 9th Infantry Division. He died on January 31, 1968 from wounds received during a military operation. The following Distinguished Service Cross citation describes the incident: “Staff Sergeant Schultz distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 31 January 1968 as squad leader of a mechanized infantry platoon on a combat mission in the village of Ho Nai. His squad and other members of the platoon became isolated and encircled by a numerically superior force firing recoilless rifles, machine guns, and automatic weapons. The troops on the ground were immediately pinned down by the savage fusillade and Sergeant Schultz' armored personnel carrier was forced to halt. To relieve the pressure on his comrades he leaped from the vehicle and assaulted an enemy machine gun nest, single-handedly destroying it and its occupants. Although seriously wounded, he again disregarded his safety and unleashed another personal attack on a second machine gun position. Hurling grenades as he charged through a curtain of hostile fire, Sergeant Schultz killed the entire gun crew. He was mortally wounded while gallantly defending his fellow soldiers in the heat of battle.” The 23-year-old’s body was buried at the Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Clinton.