Valdez (FF 1096) - Naval Cruise Book

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..-.--...--- , .,, ,. .. . . , - ,.... ,. ,,.,, , .L,..-, . ,, .:...4g,-,.. --,v u..,:-fy 1 t--- ' f 1 '- 1 were 1 ' 'Pl-tit!-41veieIt't1.:2's 5 YYQWQQBF- 44 ifii-F-':w' i 9'4f '11 'l ' A' T I 1,-A ,QS- NAVY CROSS phil isadore valdez was 'born 13 april 1946 in dixon, new mexico, the son of mr. and mrs. carlos valdez. he was graduated from espanola high school, espanola, new mexico, 1 november 1965 and trained as a hospitalman apprentice at the naval hospital corps school, san diego, california. having advanced to hospitalman in may 1966, he served in the naval hospital at key west, florida, until 19 december 1966. he was then assigned to the first battalion, first marine division, fleet marine force, pacific, serving in vietnam. hospitalman valdez was posthumously awarded the navy cross for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action on the morning of 29 ianuary 1967, while serving with company b , first battalion, first marines, in the vicinity of da nang, republic of vietnam. 1 Ulllum G-CLK he was a corpsman with the third platoon and participated in a helilift with his platoon in support of company h of the second battalion. upon landing, the platoon came under heavy enemy fire and sustained several wounded while maneuvering forward. petty officer valdez ran over open terrain, under constant enemy fire, to aid a fallen marine. he then moved the wounded man to a safe area and rendered medical assistance. again exposing himself to enemy fire, petty officer valdez moved across open ground to another marine. while treating the second marine, he positioned himself between the man and the hostile fire. it was at this time that petty officer valdez was mortally wounded. in addition to the navy cross, petty officer valdez was posthumously awarded the vietnamese military merit medal and gallantry cross with palm from the government of vietnam. his citation reads in part: - courageous ceinbatant, well known for his sacrifice, who always exhibited good will and cooperation. he assisted the republic of vietnam armed forces in blocking the red wave of aggression from engulfing south vietnam and southeast asia. with his enthusiasm and exemplary devoted manner, he willingly executed all of his entrusted assignmentsrand, disregarding all hardships and dangers, set a brilliant example for his comrades-in-arms. the secret of liberty is courage pericles

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THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY WASHINGTON. D. C. 20350 The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY CROSS posthumously to PHIL I. VALDEZ HOSPITAL CORPSMAN THIRD CLASS UNITED STATES NAVY for service as set forth in the following CITATION: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action on the morning of 29 January l967, while serving with Company B , First Battalion, First Marines, in the vicinity of Danang, Republic of Vietnam. As corps- man with the third platoon, Petty Officer Qthen I-Iospitalmanb Valdez par- ticipated in a helilift with his platoon in support of Company I-I of the Second Battalion. Immediately upon landing, the platoon came under heavy e-nemy fire and sustained several wounded while maneuvering forward. Without hesitation, Petty Officer Valdez ran over seventy-five yards of open terrain, under constant enemy fire, to aid a fallen Marine. He then moved the wounded man to a safe area and, quickly and competently, rendered medical assistance. Again exposing himself to enemy fire, Petty Officer Valdez moved across approximately fifty yards of open ground to another Marine. While treating the second Marine, he positioned him- self between the man and the hostile fire. lt was at this time that Petty Officer Valdez was mortally wounded by enemy small-arms fire. Through his heroic actions and selfless devotion to duty, he was responsible for saving the lives of two Marines. His inspiring efforts were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. For the President, fsf Robert H. B. saidwm Acting Secretary ofthe Navy if

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An. , l ,f sf- S SH1, , fe 'Q 6 ' f XIALDEZ ' fm il vi DE N396 , 5 . . 5 ' Q9 0 Q l ' Z . . N 2 ' ' 4. ' I lux 4 0 If xx Q . - 4 .1 ss.,' l.AlD JUNE 301972 Q .sill hu flvrffwdfllf' fllwlpryafdg lm ,llllll h, I lx. FF 096 ' X X NXxxx the valdez' keel was laid 30 iune 1972, for full .history see inside back cover. the insigne of valdez, designed in a combined effort by representatives of the ship's crew and the valdez family is patterned after the coat of arms in ancient heraldry and reflects elements symbolic of the values inherent in destroyers and destroyermen. the insigne is comprised of the following six elements: the shield - a red shield symbolizes bravery, moreover the red of the shield and a gold background in the insigne represent new mexico's state colors. the helmet - the conquistador helmet symbolizes spanish heritage. the cadency - the white cadency is symbolic of the first son. the rabbit - the rabbit is a personal symbol of the valdez family. the helicopter - the helicopter outline represents the extended and varied capabilities of the fast frigate. it was also the principle mode of transportation for petty officer valdez while serving with the marine corps in vietnam. the ship's silhouette - the outline of the ship in the center of the insigne represents the ship itself, around which all other symbols are located. the ship's motto, courageous combatant, is an accolade describing petty officer valdez in the citation which accompanied his vietnamese military merit and gallantry cross with palm. , f l l f the ships built at avondale shipyards in westwego, louisiana, are constructed with a mass production technique of fabricating the hulls by using Q 1, G t r r structural carbon steel tees split from wide-flange beams as longitudinal members. the hulls are built keel-up to permit downhand welding with the force of gravity allowing the molten weld to follow the contour of the hull and flow more easily between hull plates. above are the five positions of ship dur- ing construction, from left to right. prefabricated, inverted hull modules first are assembled on a permanent platen, then lifted by hydraulic units and moved laterally into giant turning rigs which rotate the hull into an upright position as shawn at the left. if f