[JJ_BPK]

Congratulation Pat..
Long over due.

It’s been more than four decades since Pat Watkins roamed the jungles of Vietnam in search of enemy targets, and while he was there he committed so many acts of heroism that the Army and politicians have been trying to catch up with him ever since.

Maybe you saw the news about the Utahn who was honored last month in a special ceremony in Florida. That was Watkins. Now 75 years old, he was awarded the Army’s Distinguished Service Cross for something he did in virtually another lifetime.

For the uninitiated, the DSC is the military’s second-highest honor. Only the Medal of Honor is considered higher. The Medal of Honor is for “intrepid" heroism, the DSC for “extraordinary” heroism. Both have this much in common: Nearly half of the recipients are dead when they receive the honor, which is often the cost of intrepid and extraordinary heroism.

Watkins has learned to be patient in these matters. In 2001 he received a Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor from Sen. Orrin Hatch for heroism during a classified mission that occurred 23 years earlier in Laos.

For the record, Watkins now owns five Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, two Army Commendation Medals for valor and four Air Medals. During his three tours of Vietnam, many of his missions were classified, including 19 behind enemy lines, all but one of which resulted in firefights.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...ue.html?pg=all