A Hero’s welcome

By Charleston Southern on July 22, 2009 - 10:38 am in Serving / no comments

On Nov. 12, 2008, after a 36-year delay, Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Tallon was awarded a Purple Heart at Lightsey Chapel Auditorium for injuries he received on a combat mission in Vietnam. He was also awarded The Air Medal and The Bronze Campaign Medal with Bronze Star attachment.

Tallon got his draft notice in June of 1969 and was in the Army by August. He flew combat missions over North Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. He was an OV-1 Mohawk reconnaissance pilot and flew most of his missions under the cover of darkness. His plane was the only unarmed, unescorted plane flown over North Vietnam.

Tallon was shot down Aug. 12, 1972, and was evacuated nine days later. Just after takeoff into the night skies of South Vietnam, his plane took a missile in the number two engine. He ejected from the plane and parachuted to the ground. “I should have been dead,” said Tallon, as he recalled that frightful event.

The plane’s aerial observer and tactical operator was killed when his parachute did not open. Tallon says he hit the ground at 140 mph and blacked out. “I landed in a minefield at night in a razor fence. I made it through the minefield without triggering any mines while on fire. I crawled to the perimeter of the airfield’s fence.”

Dodging flames that surrounded him, Tallon couldn’t find his knife or pistol. “What kept me from being impaled was my radio and my New Testament,” he said. Tallon has since given the New Testament to both of his sons who have taken it to Korea and Iraq.

The next day, Tallon’s commanding officer didn’t see bullet holes at the crash site; the plane had melted and only the propeller was left. Since there weren’t two witnesses, there wasn’t enough proof that Tallon was shot down. The secret nature of his missions also compounded the delay in receiving the Purple Heart.

The crash left Tallon blind for 10 days and left him with double vision which he still has today. He spent two and a half years in six Army hospitals, where he says he received excellent care. After a 36-year delay, and more than 20 surgeries later, Tallon finally received the Purple Heart that eluded him for so long.

“I’ve had many honors in my 37 years of service to the country, but to be at my alma mater and to have my two sons participate in the ceremony was really special. I am very proud to have been a part of the founding class of the Baptist College at Charleston, and I am proud of the institution Charleston Southern University has become,” said Tallon. He earned a BA in history.

The Purple Heart was pinned on him by Ret. U.S. Army Special Forces Lt. Col. Rudi Gresham, a senior advisor to the secretary of veteran affairs who worked in the White House. The Air Medal was pinned by his oldest son Capt. Matthew A. Tallon. The Vietnam Campaign Medal with a Bronze Star attachment was pinned by his youngest son 1st Lt. Joshua A. Tallon.

“When my oldest son Matthew pinned on my Air Medal and then saluted me, it touched my heart, but when he stepped forward and gave me a hug, he squeezed a few tears out of this old soldier’s eyes. My youngest son Josh did the same, but that moment was special too since he had recently returned from combat in Iraq where he earned the Bronze Star. I am very proud of both of my son’s service to their country,” said Tallon.

Tallon continued to serve in active duty and in the reserves for 37 years, spanning five decades. He taught history for 21 years for the state of South Carolina in public schools and for 12 years for the Army. In reflecting back on his storied military career, Tallon said, “I feel it is the duty of every citizen to serve his country; especially when called.” At the close of the ceremony, Tallon received a standing ovation; a Baptist College war hero had come home.

Tags: Joseph Tallon Joshua Tallon