John D. Herrold

THE PLAINS - Master Sergeant John D. Herrold, 68, of The Plains, died on Friday, April 3, 2015 at The Laurels of Athens. He was born on Feb. 13, 1947 in Gallipolis, Ohio to John Victor and Dorothy Marie (Davis) Herrold. John was a 1965 graduate of Albany High School and was awarded an associate degree in applied business from the Tri-County Technical Institute of Nelsonville in 1971. He served more than 27 years in the Army and Army National Guard. He is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Carol Sue (Bretz) Herrold; his stepson Bryan Gibson and daughter-in-law Andrea Gibson of The Plains; his mother, Dorothy Herrold, of Athens; his aunts Wanda (Herrold) Lewis of Bull Shoals, Ark., and Helen Oney and Pat Willis of Jackson; and his cousin Cindy (John) Lloyd of Jackson. He was preceded in death by his father, John Victor Herrold. John began his military service with the Army in 1966. In 1968, while with Company A, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry in the Republic of Vietnam, he earned the Bronze Star with “V” Device when his company came under heavy mortar, rocket and small arms fire in the Hau Nghia province. Although he was repeatedly exposed to hostile fire, John fearlessly ran back and forth to the gun positions, with complete disregard for his own personal safety, and supplied newly computed data to the guns. Following his return from Vietnam in 1968, he was honorably discharged from the US Army. In 1981, John joined the 2/19th SFG(A) and began a new chapter in his military career. His assignments with the 2/19th SFG(A) include Intelligence NCOIC, Operations Sergeant and Readiness NCO. During his time with 2/19th SFG(A), John served on operational deployments, including Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti and Operation Iraqi Freedom. John’s military education includes Infantry School, Airborne School, Special Forces Qualification Course, Military Freefall School, Special Forces Operations and Intelligence Course, Basic Non-Commissioned Officers Course and the Advanced Non-Commissioned Officers Course. John’s awards include: Bronze Star with “V” Device, Bronze Star with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Military Freefall Parachutist Badge and the U.S. Army Parachutist Badge. John was a lifetime member of the Special Forces Association, the 25th Infantry Division Association, the 27th Infantry Regiment (The Wolfhounds) Historical Society and VFW Post 9893. Services will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2015 at the Hughes-Moquin Funeral Home in Athens with Pastor Sean Hampton officiating. Burial will be at Athens Memory Gardens where military services will be conducted by the Athens American Legion Post 21, Athens VFW Post 3477, and Albany VFW Post 9893. Friends may call at the funeral home from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. prior to the service. You may sign the online guestbook or leave a private message of sympathy for the family at www.hughesmoquinfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, individuals may contribute to the Wounded Warrior Project in John’s name.