Marine to be inducted into Hall of Bravery
By SCOTT POWELL Ledger Staff Writer spowell@gaffneyledger.com

U.S. Marine Cpl. Thurman D. Mills, who served in the Vietnam War, will be inducted into the Cherokee County Hall of Bravery May 26 in a Memorial Day ceremony planned for downtown Gaffney.

Mills will be recognized at the 10:30 a.m. service at the war memorial in front of the Cherokee County Administration Building. A flyover of F- 16 warplanes from Shaw Air Force Base and a 21-gun salute by the Marine Corps League Det. 1194 are among the highlights of the memorial service.

Mills was awarded the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star for his heroic actions July 7, 1968. He was serving as a Marine fire team leader with the 1st Squad, 2d Platoon, Hotel Company in the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines in the Quan Tri Province in the Republic of South Vietnam.

"Corporal Mills was wounded about mid-day, but refused medivac as his platoon was in the middle of an intense firefight with the enemy," reads Mills' Hall of Bravery citation. "A Navy Corpsman was severely wounded. When enemy troops attacked from hidden positions, Cpl. Mills killed two enemy troops with small arms fire and led a counter attack that destroyed the rest of the enemy forces."

Mills' actions allowed the wounded Navy corpsman to be evacuated safely and prevented further loss of life, according to the citation. He was airlifted by medical helicopter the next day for treatment of his head wound and malaria.

The Hall of Bravery induction is one of several activities planned for the Memorial Day service.

Wreaths will be placed at the war memorial flag by local veterans organizations. Gold Star Mothers will be recognized for the sacrifices their sons made in protecting the country's freedom.

State Sen. Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R-Gaffney) will be the guest speaker. Peeler served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.