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Troy Edward Hirni, II
Specialist Four
C CO, 52ND INFANTRY, 716TH MP BN, 89TH MP GROUP, 18TH MP BDE, USARV Army of the United States Warrensburg, Missouri July 23, 1945 to January 31, 1968 TROY E HIRNI II is on the Wall at Panel 36E, Line 15 |
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Troy was married and was living in Warrensburg, Missouri, when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was killed in action in Gia Dinh, South Vietnam, on 31 January 1968. Troy was 5 years older than me but I knew him because we were from a small town. I knew his parents a lot better though. His Father was the Superintendant of Schools in Holden and his Mother was one of my High School teachers, whom I knew well and thought a lot of. His parents and wife were very deeply hurt when word of his death arrived, as was all of Holden. He was the first casualty of the war from our small town. Troy was very much liked by everyone and will always be missed by all. I am proud to say I knew him and thanks Troy for giving your all so the rest of us could live in freedom.
10 May 2003 I went to visit Troy's parents and while there looked at his awards and medals. When he completed Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in 1966 he received a trophy for the Outstanding Soldier Award as well as Expert badges in Pistol and Mortar and a Marksman Rifle Badge. His decorations include the Bronze Star; 3 awards of the Purple Heart (two earned in the Mekong Delta in the summer of 1967 and one for 31 Jan 1968); Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal; Republic of Vietnam Military Merit Medal; Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm; and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. And he received the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
Troy never saw his son, Troy E. Hirni III, who was born while Troy was in Vietnam ... Troy now has three grandchildren.
From a friend and fellow veteran, Frank Hobbs SP4 Combat Medic Kingsville, Missouri fhobbs@peoplepc.com |
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Eddie Hirni, one of my older boy cousins, lost his life in Vietnam in 1968. I was 14 years old. I asked our dad why there had to be war. He told me that we needed to stay free so if we wanted to ride horses like Eddie whenever we wanted, we could. I understood that. Eddie loved horses and they loved him back. He loved to spend time at our grandparents' farm and they loved to spend time with him. I did too. He would play games with us or give us a ride on his horse, if we begged him long enough. I loved that. He would talk like Donald Duck and make us laugh. I can still hear that. He taught me that if you opened both sides of a can with an opener it pours easier. I always think of him when I do that. One day I watched him stop and count the cars on a passing freight train. I still do that. Eddie was a small town boy who loved life and everything in it. I still love him for that.
His cousin, |
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This poem is for my great great great grandpa
From the daughter of Eddie's 1st cousin - Mike McGhee, |
From a cousin, |
A Note from The Virtual WallA web site for the 3rd Bn, 39th Infantry contains the following entry on its Honor Roll:"Hirni, Troy E. II - Holden, MO - Long An - Jan 31, 1968 - 36E 015"but that entry is not correct. It appears that SP4 Hirni served with Alpha 3/39 in the Riverine forces, where he earned his first two Purple Hearts, and subsequently was assigned to C Company, 52nd Infantry. That assignment is reflected in the Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii database and in SP4 Hirni's Letter of Condolences file at the LBJ Library. Further, he was not killed in Long An Province but in Gia Dinh Province. C Company, 52nd Infantry was a rifle security company assigned to bolster the capabilities of the 716th MP Battalion, which was responsible for providing security to the US facilities in the Saigon area. The Status of Forces agreement between the US and the South Vietnamese government prohibited stationing US combat forces in Saigon; one result of that situation was that the 716th MP Battalion was equipped only with hand-held light arms. When The Tet Offensive assaults began on the night of 30/31 Jan 1968 the Military Police - and C/52nd Infantry - found themselves faced with not only superior numbers but superior armament as well. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, the 716th MP Battalion acquitted itself very well indeed - none of the facilities in their charge were captured during the VC assault. The Battalion's performance during Tet was recognized by the Presidential Unit Citation, but the award came at a high price indeed - including SP4 Hirni, 27 members of the Battalion are known to have died during the first day's fighting:
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