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In Memory OfSGT Eddie E. Chervony

May 8, 1947 - May 5, 1968

SGT Eddie E. Chervony, 20, U.S. Army, born in Puerto Rico May 8, 1947, was killed in action on May 5, 1968.

Chervony was the second youngest child of Santiago and Angela Chervony in the small municipality of Hormigueros. When he was just a toddler, his family moved to the U.S. and settled in New York to make a better life for themselves. Chervony spent his childhood and early teens and was shaped by two wildly different ways of life. On one side, he was growing up in a very religious, working-class immigrant community who took great pride in their Puerto Rican heritage. The flip side of that coin was navigating the mainland way of life. He knew that he needed to adapt to the new culture, learn English, and work extra hard to not only be accepted but also be successful as an immigrant in the land of opportunity.

In 1962, Chervony's family moved to Los Angeles. He was enrolled at John C. Fremont High School. There, through discipline and hard work, he excelled in both academic and vocational courses. Chervony was so talented in his auto shop class that he was invited to participate in the 1966 Plymouth automotive troubleshooting contest in San Jose and took home several awards for his under-the-hood aptitude.


The summer after graduating, he married his high school sweetheart, Carmen Saez, who gave birth to his daughter, Jeanette, soon after. Ever the provider, Chervony enlisted in the Army to give his new family the life they deserved.


He became a Tactical Wire Operations Specialist with 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) and deployed to Vietnam in one of the most intense periods of the war. On the first day of Phase II of the Tet Offensive, Chervony was serving as Communications Chief while stationed at LZ Peanuts in Quảng Trị. There, his unit was tasked with providing fire support for our U.S. ground and air assault forces and disrupting enemy supply lines and troop movements along the Laotian border as they made their way south on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.


On the night of May 5th, he was in a three-man bunker when a large group of NVA Sappers launched a massive attack. Chervony quickly began organizing gun teams along the battery perimeter and directed fire to fend off the encroaching enemy battalion. As ammunition ran low, he led a small team across 100 yards of exposed terrain to secure an empty machine gun emplacement. After gaining control of the defensive position Chervony once again left cover to deliver ammo to other emplacements and coordinate a base of fire.


As the battle raged on, he notices several of his men who had been severely wounded and lying on the ground in no-man's-land. Without hesitation, Chervony ran into the fray and began carrying his brothers-in-arms back inside the perimeter. While carrying a sixth man to safety, enemy explosives began raining down on his location. During the barrage, an NVA grenade landed right next to Chervony. He immediately laid the wounded soldier on the ground and laid down on top of him. Chervony was killed in the blast, but by using his body as a human shield, saved the life of the man he was carrying to safety.


For his service, he earned a Purple Heart, the Silver Star, and the Distinguished Service Cross.


Rest easy, Hero! Til Valhalla, Brother!