SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - Cavalry troops honored one of their own during a conference room dedication ceremony, here, Aug. 19.
The Soldiers of Apache Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, named the conference room after 1st Sgt. Samuel G. Jenkins Jr.
"Any time there was contact with the enemy he risked himself for the good of others," said Capt. Christopher E. Morrow, commander, Troop A, during the ceremony. "He epitomizes the noncommissioned officer."
Present during the ceremony was retired Col. Galen Narimatsu, a representative of the 3-4th Cav Association.
Narimatsu thanked his audience for inviting him to the unveiling ceremony and said how important it was for the room to be named after Jenkins.
On display was Jenkins' shadow box with his awards he earned during his two tours in the Republic of Vietnam.
"His original identification tags that he wore in Vietnam are inside the shadow box," Morrow said.
An inscribed plaque of Jenkin's Silver Star citation during his second tour in Vietnam was also part of the room memorial he earned.
On Aug. 19, 1968, he showed distinction again in combat in Vietnam when he, as acting platoon leader for 1st Platoon, Troop A, reacted to an enemy ambush on Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 5th Inf. Regt. He quickly saw that the Soldiers become disorganized and took command.
Once more, Jenkins was wounded during the heat of combat as he extricated the troops from the ambush. For his heroism, he was awarded the Silver Star. The 1st Platoon, Troop A, was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
He would later retire in 1980 as a first sergeant after 21 years of active service.
Jenkins passed away at his home in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, June 4, 2007, at the age of 69.
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