Frank Ray Noe – Sergeant, United States Army

Frank Ray Noe was born on December 24, 1941 and joined the Armed Forces while in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

He served in the United States Army.  In eight years of service, he attained the rank of Sergeant First CLass. He began a tour of duty in Vietnam on January 26, 1967.

On November 1, 1967, at the age of 25, Frank Ray Noe perished in the service of our country in South Vietnam, Khanh Hoa Province.

In 1967 Staff Sergeant Frank Noe was serving as the Team Medic for Detachment A-502, 5TH Special Forces Group Vietnam, the “Green Beret”. The A-502 mission was to advise and assist the Vietnamese Special Forces in the conduct of the Civillian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) Program. Detachment A-502 was located in Camp Trung Dung and provided the western defense for the city of Nha Trang.

To Support A-502s mission, Staff Sergeant Noe organized and conducted Medical Civic Action Patrols that provided health care and inoculation to thousands of Vietnamese and
Montagnard civillians. He personally trained local medics to help him conduct daily sick call for the camps 300 CIDG soldiers. With untiring efforts and professionalism, Staff Sergeant Noe expanded the camps dispensary into a facility for treating both military personnel and civilian dependents, dispensing medication and providing health and sanitation instruction in the fight against disease and illiness.

When out on long-range patrols into the hostile jungle mountains, or on dangerous local security operations Staff Sergeant Noe was a proven and a respected combat leader. On November 1, 1967 Staff Sergeant Noe was leading a night patrol blocking an NVA/VC force from infiltrating a local village. In the midst of deploying the CIDG soldiers and establilshing ambush positions to defend the village from attack, Staff Sergeant Noe was killed in action.

Staff Sergeant Noe’s tact, quite demeanor, and his ability to handle a variety of camp medical situations, as well as his fighting skills in combat, earned him the admiration of all his U.S. Special Forces Team Members, the Vietnamese Special Forces, and the CIDG Soldiers that he served with.

To honor Staff Sergeant Noe’s bravery, dedication, and sacrifice, the CIDG soldiers erected a cement monument bearing his name and placed it at the Camp Trung Dung Dispensary where he helped so many.

Staff Sergeant Noe’s military awards included the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard