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Three Valley veterans honored for their valor
By MARC KOVAC
COLUMBUS
On Friday, Kenneth J. David was sitting on a chair outside the Ohio Statehouse, alongside 20 others being honored for military bravery.
But 40 years ago to the day, Pfc. David was alone and pinned down by enemy fire in Vietnam.
The radio-telephone operator “bitterly resisted” and defended the perimeter, stopping attempts to overrun his position.
He shouted to attract enemy fire away from others.
Even after he was wounded and running low on ammunition, he tossed hand grenades, carried a wounded comrade to safety and returned to fight until the enemy fled.
On Friday, on the anniversary of that day, David of Niles found himself in Columbus, alongside one of the men whose life he saved.
“If it wasn’t for this guy here, I wouldn’t be here,” Stephen Avgerinos said of David’s actions.
David was one of three Youngstown-area veterans who were inducted Friday into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame for Valor, which annually honors Ohioans who have received military medals for bravery in combat.
Among the other honorees were the late Richard L. Powell and James H. Brahney of Youngstown.
Powell’s sister, Pattie Scoville, and Brahney’s widow, Carolyn, accepted the honorary medals on their husbands’ behalf.
“From every corner of Ohio they answered our nation’s call to duty, and they served Ohio and America with heroism and uncommon valor,” Gov. Ted Strickland said in honoring the inductees. “Our hopes and our prayers and our deep abiding thanks will always be with you.”
Powell served as a medic in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam. During a battle in late August 1968, he rushed forward under heavy fire from North Vietnamese Army forces to treat wounded men.
“During the ensuing fire fight, he fearlessly maneuvered about the fire-swept terrain from one injured man to another and, on several occasions, moved dangerously close to the hostile emplacements to assist casualties,” said Bill Edwards, a member of the hall of fame board.
Powell kept working even after being hit in one arm by machine gun fire. “He ignored his painful injuries and steadfastly continued to render life-sustaining aid to his fallen comrades. ... and was mortally wounded by hostile fire while providing vital medical treatment to the injured Marine,” Edwards said. Powell was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions that day.
Brahney served in the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam. In late August 1963, he flew a helicopter into hostile fire to rescue two U.S. Navy men from a small island in the Song Hau Giang River.
“Landing in a small clearing surrounded by dense foliage, Capt. Brahney maintained his position despite the continuous ground fire, while the injured men were loaded into the helicopter,” said Rick Colliver, who served as master of ceremonies Friday. “Because of his action, the lives of two men were saved.”