The Passing of a true American Hero
My uncle EARL KALEO CHUNG passed away Wednesday Oct. 21. He was a SeaBee, and a Sergeant 1st class Marine Corps. during the Viet Nam War. He was a Bronze Medal recipient and Purple Heart with cluster, among many other awards and citations. I remember visiting him in Tripler Army Hospital the 3 times he was blown up by shrapnel. After the 3rd time the Marine Corp refused to let him return to Nam. The times I visited him, he was always anxious to return to Viet Nam, to protect his boys. One of his exploits was to blaze a road through the jungle with his D9 Cat, so that they could rescue a platoon of Marines trapped by the Cong. He received the Bronze Medal by protecting his construction convoy by taking out a large Cong contingent who ambushed his convoy. He took out the Cong with his D9 Cat. This is all interesting because a SeaBee is a non combatant. All his war wounds finally caught up to him. Rest in peace my brave and loving uncle.
