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John Charles Imrie
JOHN CHARLES IMRIE
Birth Oct. 19, 1945
Hometown Watertown, Wisconsin
Parents Victor G. and Mildred M. (Feutz) Imrie
Military branch Army
Early Life
John Imrie was born on Oct. 19, 1945 in Watertown, Wisconsin, to Victor G. and Mildred M. (Feutz) Imrie. He had two brothers, Victor Jr. and Robert, and a sister, Mary.
Imrie attended Lake Mills High School and was a standout on the football and wrestling teams. As a junior, he received the annual Spoon and Spade award for his outstanding scholarship and all-round student participation. He was a preceptor for the Fort Atkinson DeMolay Chapter. He was a member of the Lake Mills Congregational-United Church of Christ.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Imrie attended UW-Platteville from 1963 to 1964. He majored in agriculture and was on the 1963 football team.
Military
Imrie enlisted in the Army on Feb. 20, 1966 and attended Basic Training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He completed airborne training and participated in cooperative maneuvers with the Norwegian military in Barfrost, Norway. He also completed Recondo School, specializing in survival and leadership. He was a member of the Sky Diving Club at Fort Campbell.
He began his tour in the Republic of Vietnam on June 20, 1967 and served with A Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division.
Specialist Four Imrie’s Silver Star, awarded posthumously, citation provides the following details of heroism. "For gallantry in action against a hostile force on 18 August 1967 in the Republic of Vietnam. Specialist Four Imrie distinguished himself by demonstrating the utmost in personal bravery and sacrifice. While conducting a search and destroy mission in the vicinity of Chu Lai, the platoon became heavily engaged with an undetermined sized Viet Cong force firing from well-concealed positions with automatic weapons. With the first burst of hostile fire, Specialist Imrie immediately deployed his squad and began returning fire. During the initial stages of the fire fight several troopers were wounded and unable to move back to the remainder of the platoon. Upon hearing the platoon medic had been wounded also, Specialist Imrie, with complete disregard for his own safety, crawled forward through the blistering fire to render aid, encouragement, and evacuate the wounded men. After making three successful trips across the bullet-swept area with the wounded, he was mortally wounded. The resolute courage, deep sense of devotion and concern for the lives of his fellow soldiers, at the cost of his own, has distinguished Specialist Imrie. His valiant actions were in keeping with the finest traditions of the military service and reflect immeasurable credit upon himself, Task Force Oregon, and the United States Army."
His unit suffered an additional four killed and 15 others wounded.
Specialist Four Imrie is buried in the Rock Lake Cemetery in Lake Mills, Wisconsin.
Among Specialist Imrie’s awards are the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with one service Star, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation. Badges include the Combat Infantry Badge, Army Parachutist Badge, and Expert Badge with Rifle bar.
John Imrie’s name appears on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. on panel 25E, line 12.
