Gilbertsville resident John Greason was recognized at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy recently for demonstrating courage in the face of danger as the commander of a patrol boat during the Vietnam War.
Greason was inducted into the Wall of Gallantry, a memorial established to honor Academy graduates who performed heroic acts of service during the course of their military careers.
A member of the Academy Class of 1963, Greason was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions against enemy forces during the Vietnam War. During the conflict, 82-foot Coast Guard patrol boats and their crews served with the U.S. Navy with the mission of stopping the movement of arms and supplies from the South China Sea into South Vietnam.
A citation that accompanied his award describes Greason’s efforts as Commanding Officer of the CGC Point Partridge, patrolling the waters off the coast of Vietnam for more than 21,000 miles during Operations Market Time and Game Warden, two of the most successful U.S. Naval actions during the Vietnam War.
Greason and his crew sank an enemy ship, killing one crewmember and capturing another with weapons, ammunition, and valuable intelligence in their possession. His crew engaged in heavy semiautomatic and small arms fire with another enemy ship and were able to suppress fire and capture the ship and its crew with no serious injuries and minimal damage to the cutter.
Greason along with several other inductees, their families, and friends, returned to the Academy for an induction ceremony on Oct. 22. During the ceremony the entire Corps of Cadets, along with the senior leaders at the Academy, gathered together to commemorate and thank those they consider service heroes.
Source: Berkshire mont
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