RANGER DANIEL McLAUGHLIN

Assigned to Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) 196th Light Infantry Brigade; Later changed to Co E 51st Infantry LRRP Detachment Americal Division.

Danny attended Hill High School in St. Paul, Minnesota graduating in 1964. He was a natural born leader, well liked, popular and seemed to be one of those people born without fear. He could be a "rascal" at times but was always friendly and kind to everyone he knew. Dan loved his Irish heritage and St. Patrick's Day was his favorite holiday. After graduation he went to work at 3M and joined the National Guard. In the spring of 1966 the Vietnam conflict was escalating and Dan decided that it was his duty to serve his country and help out. He volunteered for active duty and left the Guards to join the regular army.

After basic training and infantry AIT Dan attended airborne school at Fort Benning, GA and in the fall of 1966 he was sent to Germany. In March of 1967 his younger brother, Dave, was drafted and sent as an infantry soldier to Vietnam. Dan immediately pressured his superiors to allow him to go to Vietnam to be with Dave. Dan wrote to his mother, "I've got to get over to Vietnam to look after Dave," Dan was transferred in April and two months after his little brother, he set foot in Vietnam.

While Danny was at the 70th replacement battalion near Saigon waiting for assignment, an army officer came around looking for volunteers to staff new units being formed specifically to handle problems unique with jungle warfare. The new units were to train on conducting Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols and the soldiers who joined these "all volunteer" units came to be called LRRPS. Dan immediately joined and after attending Recondo School was assigned to the 196th Light Infantry Brigade which was moving from Tay Ninh to Chu Lai in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. On the way to his new location, Dan stopped by to see his brother whose unit was being disbanded. Dan told Dave where he was going and told his brother to put in a transfer to join Dan's LRRP unit so they could be together. Dave submitted his transfer and a few months later joined Dan's LRRP unit.

Over the next five months, the two brothers served together on the same seven man LRRP team. This arrangement allowed Dan, with his natural born leadership ability and fearlessness to serve as team leader of an elite LRRP team while also fulfilling the promise he made to his mother to look after his "little brother" Dave.

Just days before the infamous '68 Tet offensive, Dan volunteered for a special six ma recon patrol. Even though his brother Dave was geared up and ready to go on the mission as usual, for reasons known only to Dan, he adamantly refused to allow hi brother Dave on the team. On the second day of this mission, the team was surrounded by a large force of North Vietnamese Regulars and attacked. With complete disregard for his own safety, Dan fought with uncommon bravery, exposing himself to enemy fire while protecting the men on his team. Even after being wounded two separate times he continued to fight and halt the enemy advance until he fell fatally wounded a third time. Due to his valiant action, three of the six team members were rescued and survived the war. On January 20, 1968, Dan gave his life for his country and his buddies and posthumously received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with "V" device for valor in this actions.

Dan is survived by his mother Gertrude, brothers Dave and Tom, sisters Rita Warn, Marilyn Triemert and Kathleen Leibel. Father Daniel P. McLaughlin Sr. was deceased in 1981. Dan is also survived by seventeen nieces and nephews that he never had the privilege to see.

Some of the things we remember when we recall Dan is: his laughter, his care, St. Patrick's Day parades, Hamm's beer, white lilies for his mother on Easter, wonderful letters, his humor, his gentle wildness, his compassion for the downtrodden, his Irish smile full of mischief. But most of all he will be remembered for giving the most precious of all gifts - his life. In doing that he accomplished two things: first, he proved his love for his fellow man -"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for ones friends." Second, he fulfilled the promise made to his mother so many months before: he looked after and protected his younger brother, sending him home safe and sound one last time.

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Name: William Robert Anderson ( AKA: TWIG )
Date: June 19, 2003
Email: TWIG196LRRP@aol.com
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