Chopper Pilot Served Six Tours Of Duty In Vietnam

In what began as a search for a fallen aviator's grave, the family of a Vietnam veteran was recently presented with more than 100 medals and awards he earned for service to a grateful nation.

Helen Tilgner, remembering a scar on her father's left knee, realized he had earned a Purple Heart... but had no idea her father had won more than 100 medals and awards as a chopper pilot in Vietnam, the Associated Press reported. He never talked about his military honors.

The awards were presented to Ms. Tilgner and her two sons by Massachusetts Senator John Kerry on Saturday, 26 years after her father's death.

"I feel like it is recognition that he should have had long ago, to be remembered with honor, and it's a legacy I get to pass down to my sons so they are better aware of who he really was," Helen Tilgner said.

Armit Tilgner served six tours of duty in Vietnam, the AP said. In addition to the Purple Heart, he earned four Bronze Stars, five Army Commendation Medals, three Meritorious Unit Commendation Medals, two Valorous Unit Awards and 136 Air Medal Awards.

After 20 years in the Army, Tilgner retired in 1973. He went to work for a medflight firm, transporting sick people from remote villages in Malaysia. In 1982, his helicopter crashed during a severe thunderstorm. His daughter Helen, then 23, never knew where he was buried.

Five years ago, Helen contacted Senator Kerry, who helped locate her father's grave in Sarawak, Malaysia. Later finding his discharge papers, she realized how many honors he had won. Not knowing the whereabouts of the original medals, she asked Kerry for his help in replacing them.

Kerry, also a Vietnam veteran, said he was stunned by the number of awards Armit Tilgner received, and said he was touched by the fact that his two grandsons have followed in his military footsteps.

Army Sgt. Jason Kendrick, 28, having already served two tours of duty in Iraq, is scheduled to fly out for his third tour next month. Army Specialist Jerrod Kendrick, 27, returned from Afghanistan last May.

FMI: www.vva.org, www.army.mil