Kenneth Stumpf, a Vietnam War hero who didn't consider himself a hero, died at 77. Now, he's being honored by his Menasha hometown.
Duke Behnke
MENASHA - Medal of Honor recipient Kenneth Stumpf was somewhat uncomfortable with his status as a Vietnam War hero.
On April 25, 1967, Stumpf, a U.S. Army infantry squad leader with the rank of specialist, rescued three soldiers, one by one, who were wounded and pinned down by North Vietnamese gunfire near Duc Pho. His squad regrouped to eliminate two of three enemy bunkers before Stumpf, running through a volley of gunfire, destroyed the third with hand grenades.
He was 22 at the time.
For his acts of valor, Stumpf was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson. It's the nation's highest military decoration.
“I’ve always said I didn’t do anything above and beyond the call of duty," he once recalled, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. "What I did was my duty. I had to do that … it was a responsibility that I had to my men.”
Stumpf died April 23 at his home in Tomah. He was 77.
On Saturday, which is Armed Forces Day, the Menasha Veterans of Foreign Wars Nicolet Post 2126 will honor Stumpf's life with ceremonies on the Isle of Valor, which is located behind the Memorial Building at 640 Keyes St.
The event will start at 11 a.m. and include speakers, music, a prayer, a flag raising, a gun salute and the sounding of taps — all fitting for a war hero, despite Stumpf's modest view of his battlefield bravery.
"We're going to unveil the two (monuments) that he has there," VFW Post Commander Dave Mix told The Post-Crescent. "The monuments are covered in black right now for mourning for him."
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Stumpf was granted a lifetime membership in VFW Post 2126 in 1968. Mix said Stumpf is worthy of admiration, gratitude and respect.
"He almost lost his life for us," Mix said. "We owe it to him to pay tribute. Not many people win a Medal of Honor."
There are 65 recipients alive today, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
Menasha is one of the few communities with multiple Medal of Honor recipients.
The city's first recipient was Sgt. Elmer Burr, who died on Dec. 24, 1942, while serving in Buna, New Guinea, during World War II. Burr threw himself on a hand grenade, smothering the explosion with his body and saving the life of his company commander.
Stumpf was drafted into the Army in 1965. After his 1967 heroics, he reenlisted in the Army in 1968. He served two additional tours of duty in Vietnam and was wounded in 1971.
In addition to the Medal of Honor, Stumpf was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Gold Star, according to a 1971 report in The Post-Crescent.
He served in the Army until his retirement in 1994 at the rank of sergeant major.
Kenneth Stumpf's Medal of Honor citation
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Stumpf distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader of the 3d Platoon, Company C, on a search-and-destroy mission. As S/Sgt. Stumpf's company approached a village, it encountered a North Vietnamese rifle company occupying a well-fortified bunker complex. During the initial contact, three men from his squad fell wounded in front of a hostile machine-gun emplacement. The enemy's heavy volume of fire prevented the unit from moving to the aid of the injured men, but S/Sgt. Stumpf left his secure position in a deep trench and ran through the barrage of incoming rounds to reach his wounded comrades. He picked up one of the men and carried him back to the safety of the trench. Twice more S/Sgt. Stumpf dashed forward while the enemy turned automatic weapons and machine guns upon him, yet he managed to rescue the remaining two wounded squad members. He then organized his squad and led an assault against several enemy bunkers from which continuously heavy fire was being received. He and his squad successfully eliminated two of the bunker positions, but one to the front of the advancing platoon remained a serious threat. Arming himself with extra hand grenades, S/Sgt. Stumpf ran over open ground, through a volley of fire directed at him by a determined enemy, toward the machine-gun position. As he reached the bunker, he threw a hand grenade through the aperture. It was immediately returned by the occupants, forcing S/Sgt. Stumpf to take cover. Undaunted, he pulled the pins on two more grenades, held them for a few seconds after activation, then hurled them into the position, this time successfully destroying the emplacement. With the elimination of this key position, his unit was able to assault and overrun the enemy. S/Sgt. Stumpf's relentless spirit of aggressiveness, intrepidity, and ultimate concern for the lives of his men, are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army."
Source: Congressional Medal of Honor Society
Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.