OSCAR PALMER AUSTIN (1948-1969) Oscar Palmer Austin was born on January 15, 1948, in Nacogdoches, Texas, grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and joined the Marine Corps there.
After completing his training, Austin was assigned to Company E, Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division in Da Nang, South Vietnam as a Private First Class.
On February 23, 1969, Austin was defending an observation post west of Da Nang. Early that morning, his unit was attacked by a large enemy force with grenades, small arms fire, and satchel charges. Austin saw one of his fellow soldiers fall unconscious in an exposed position and rushed toward the wounded man. He left the safety of his fox hole and ran through heavy enemy fire until he neared the soldier. When an enemy grenade landed by the soldier, Austin immediately jumped in between the soldier and the grenade and shielded the wounded man from the blast. Austin then ignored his own injuries to examine the wounded man. While he examined the unconscious soldier, Austin noticed that an enemy soldier had aimed his weapon at the wounded man. Austin threw himself in between the enemy soldier and the wounded man, and was mortally wounded by the enemy soldier's fire.
For his repeated self sacrifice which saved the life of a fellow soldier, Austin was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The medal was presented to his family by Vice President Spiro T. Agnew at the White House on April 20, 1970.
The USS Oscar Austin, the first ship of the Oscar Austin Class of guided missile destroyers, was christened on November 7, 1998. Austin is buried at Greenwood Memory Lawn in Phoenix, Arizona.
Bibliography: "Above and Beyond: The Medal of Honor in Texas," Capitol Visitors Center, State Preservation Board of Texas. "Oscar Palmer Austin," Find A Grave.com, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9746, April 26, 2006. "USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79)," NavySite.de, http://navysite.de/dd/ddg79.htm, April 26, 2006.
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