Man of valor

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Fishers veteran is among the first to be inducted into the Indiana Veterans Hall of Fame

By Ann Craig-Cinnamon

Fred Spaulding was moving a little slowly after having had surgery just three days earlier. But there is no doubt that it won’t keep the brave and highly decorated veteran and Fishers resident down for long.

During an illustrious military career that spanned 29 years and numerous tours of duty, Spaulding earned so many medals that he doesn’t know himself how many he has. The 74-year-old joked that an old army buddy once put a sign on his army jacket with an arrow that pointed up from his medals that said “continued on back.” Today he displays them all in shadow boxes and it takes two to hold them all.

It all started when, as an18-year-old, Spaulding decided to enlist in the Marines but was summarily tossed out of the recruiters’ office at the old federal building in downtown Indianapolis. As he was leaving, an Army recruiter down the hall convinced him to step into his office. Spaulding says there was a poster on the wall that jumped out at him.

“There were guys on the ground and some running and they had knives stuck in their boots and very determined looks on their faces and parachutes coming down behind them,” Spaulding recalled. “It said, ‘Airborne and Rangers lead the way’ and I thought, ‘Well, I’ll bet that’s just as good if not better than the Marines.’”

So he told the enlistment officer that he wanted to be those men on the poster. “He looked at me and he looked at the poster and he said, ‘Well, we’ve got our work cut out for us,’” laughed Spaulding.

He enlisted that day and found his home in the Airborne Rangers. “I was very fortunate that the NCOs (noncommissioned officers) that I had were all from WWII and Korea and were all hardened combat troops and they were going to train you the same way,” he said.

All that training was put to use as Spaulding spent a total of six years and nine months in three combat areas: Korea, the Dominican Republic and Vietnam. He started as a noncommissioned officer and, nine years later and after much encouragement from commanding officers, he attended Officer Candidate School and graduated in 1967.

Spaulding’s list of accomplishments is a page long and includes leading the 82nd Airborne Division into its first battle since WWII in the Dominican Republic, commanding five rifle companies, two HQ companies and three Special Forces “A” teams. He was shot down three times in one day in Vietnam in an effort to get soldiers out of an operations area. Each time he got a new helicopter and tried again.

“That’s my claim to fame, my ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not,’” said Spaulding. Men were trapped and it was Spaulding’s job to get them out, so he kept going back until he did.

Spaulding didn’t serve the minimum duty in Vietnam, either. He kept extending his tour as the war was winding down. “There were several of us that we considered ourselves professional soldiers and we didn’t exactly like the way the troops were getting the short end of the stick,” he said. “The majority of them didn’t want to be there anyway. But we figured if we could stay and in some way make a difference by keeping these kids alive, then we’ll just keep staying. So I extended three or four times”.

Spaulding retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1987 and has been inducted into the Infantry OCS Hall of Fame, the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame and the Legion of Valor. He was one of 16 Hoosier veterans to be inducted into the new Indiana Military Hall of Fame on Nov. 7, out of 60 nominees.

And then, there are all those medals. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, which is the second highest honor awarded; a Silver Star, which is the third highest honor; two Distinguished Flying Crosses, which is equal to a Silver Star but for aerial; and three Bronze Stars with V (for Valorous Acts). He has also been recommended for the highest honor of all, the Medal of Honor, but he takes it all in stride.

“You can have all the pretty bright-colored ribbons; that’s good. But the greatest accolade or award you can ever have is when you’re standing there at one of the reunions and some young guy comes up that you have never seen before in your life,” Spaulding said. “Of course, most of them add 50, 60 pounds now and their hair may be gray, but they’ll come up with their wife and two kids and want to introduce you to their family. And they introduce you as ‘this is Col. Spaulding, this is the guy that got us out.’ Makes you feel 10 feet tall.”

Spaulding lives in the Del Webb neighborhood of Fishers with his wife of 42 years, Mikye, whom he met in Korea.

The Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame

Founded: 2013

Goal: To recognize Hoosier men and women who have contributed to the well-being of the nation either through valor on the battlefield or extraordinary community service

Criteria: The nominee must have been born in Indiana, entered military service from Indiana or lived in Indiana for a minimum of eight years.

To nominate: Forms can be found on imvhof.com


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