Fred Taylor

Service & Sacrifice

Fred Taylor was born in 1933 and grew up in Castlewood, in Russell County, Virginia. He enlisted in the United States Army and built a 16-year career in the Special Forces, joining Detachment B-52, Project Delta, A Company, 5th Special Forces Group.

On July 11, 1965, SFC Taylor and MSG Henry J. Gallant were advisors to an eight-man South Vietnamese Special Forces long-range reconnaissance patrol under the auspices of Project Delta. The team was inserted by helicopter into its area of operation to gather intelligence north of Highway 19, approximately 40 miles southwest of Kontum and 48 miles northwest of Qui Nhon.

Two days later, at approximately 4:00 PM on July 13, the team was ambushed by an enemy force of unknown size as it moved through jungle foliage on the south side of a mountain. The initial burst of enemy fire caused the team to split. SFC Taylor, MSG Gallant, and one Vietnamese soldier formed one group while the other seven team members scattered in another direction.

SFC Taylor immediately established radio contact with friendly forces, reporting the team's location and requesting emergency extraction. During the intense firefight, MSG Gallant was shot in the stomach. When their defensive positions became untenable, the men initiated escape and evasion tactics. SFC Taylor was last seen helping the wounded Gallant into the surrounding jungle as enemy forces pressed toward them. He refused to leave his wounded teammate behind.

Over the following days, search and rescue teams recovered five Vietnamese team members alive, but found no trace of Taylor, Gallant, or three other indigenous personnel. SFC Taylor was declared Missing in Action. He was promoted from Staff Sergeant to Sergeant First Class following the incident.

In July 2022, 57 years after his loss, SFC Taylor was honored with a Memorial Intersection in his home community at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Highway 58 in Castlewood, Virginia. His daughter Anita, who was nine years old when her father was lost, attended the ceremony. She said that for him to receive a twenty-one gun salute and Taps was something she never thought would happen.