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MAJ Mark E Cooper
to remember
Auger, Alvin Bernard, MSG.
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Funeral services with full military honors for Alvin Bernard Auger, 78, of Palestine were at noon Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010, at Herrington/Land of Memory Funeral Home Chapel. The family received condolences from 11 a.m. to noon prior to the service. Mr. Auger died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010, at Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler. He was born Aug. 10, 1931, in West Warwick, RI, to Leroy and Eva Lachappelle Auger. Mr. Auger was raised as a Roman Catholic in Rhode Island with a childhood full of clambakes and family. He was a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant and Green Beret having served 24 years with two tours in Korea, six in Vietnam, and two in the Dominican Republic. He graduated from the Monterrey Defense Language Institute and was a private pilot. He was an operations and intelligence sergeant on a Special Forces Operational Detachment (A Team) having served in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 10th Special Forces Groups (Airborne). His assignments also included White Star mobile training team, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute ROTC, Special Forces adviser to the Saudi Arabian Airborne Forces, and active duty adviser to Florida Special Forces Reserve and National Guard units. His military awards and decorations included the Bronze Star Medal (1st Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal (1st Oak Leaf Cluster), Air Medal (6th Award), Republic of Vietnam Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Laos) (Dominican Republic), Master Parachutist Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge (2nd Award) Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Medal. After retiring, he worked as a defense and telephony contractor. He moved to Palestine in 1995 and enjoyed raising rabbits with his wife near Brushy Creek.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and wife, Geri Auger, in July 2009. Mr. Auger is survived by two sons, John Auger and Joseph Auger; two daughters, Melissa Auger and Diane Jones; two brothers, Roy Auger and Eddie Auger; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; cousin, Leola Curan; and fiancé, Evelyn Laird. Honorary pallbearers were members of the Dallas Chapter XXXI of the Special Forces Association, Jerry Jochum, Ron Fory, Ben Lyons, Jim Ames, Gene Pugh, Charlie Barksdale and Paul Herrington. Memorials may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, Kan. 66675-8517 (a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization).
Vietnam War/Summer-Fall 1969 Campaign
From Month/Year
June / 1969
To Month/Year
October / 1969
Description This campaign was from 9 June to 31 October 1969. During the summer and fall of 1969, conduct of operations was increasingly turned over to Vietnamese, US troops withdrew in greater numbers amid reaffirmations of support for the Republic of South Vietnam government. President Nixon announced the reduction of the U.S. military presence in South Vietnam which would be demonstrated initially by the withdrawal of 25,000 troops by 31 August 1969.
American troop strength had peaked at 543,400 in April 1969 but dropped to 505,500 by mid October. More scattered than before, enemy attacks were concentrated on South Vietnamese positions. U.S. combat deaths were down in the early fall as American units switched to small unit actions. The trend was not constant, however, because U.S. troops deaths which had fallen well below l00 a week in the fall, rose above 100 later in the year.
