Hometown: Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Branch: U.S. Navy
Unit: Company M, 3d Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division
Military Honors: Silver Star, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: August 27, 1970 - KIA in Quảng Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam 
Age: 22
Conflict: Vietnam War, 1959-1975

Michael was born on July 22, 1948, and raised in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, just north of Akron. The second of five children born to Dick and Peg Kempel, Michael attended Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church and School.

After graduating from Archbishop Hoban High School of Akron in 1966, Kempel went to the University of Akron and worked for the energy company Babcock & Wilcox in nearby Baberton, Ohio.

As a young boy, Kempel was a paperboy for the Akron Beacon Journal and an Eagle Scout, according to his younger brother, Dennis. “As a young adult, his passion was cars. He was a motorhead grease monkey and mechanic. He spent many hours rebuilding an early model Corvair he sold to purchase a cherry red 1964 Ford Galaxie 500. He cleaned and polished every inch of that car from the rims to the engine, all the while listening to Dick Dale and the Ventures. Drag racing was a part of Mike’s passion for cars.”

In 1968, when the country was mired in the Vietnam War (1959-1975) and divided over whether America should remain involved, Kempel enlisted in the United States Navy. His father told the Akron Beacon Journal that Kempel decided to enlist so he could choose which branch of the military he’d serve in—a choice he wouldn’t have if he were drafted.

Kempel was trained as a U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman and assigned to Company M, 3d Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division deployed in South Vietnam. Navy Hospital Corpsmen were trained to provide basic medical treatment. Because the Marine Corps doesn’t have its own medical branch, Navy Corpsmen serve with the Marine Divisions.

HM2 Kempel’s commanding officer, First Lieutenant Ranson J. Pelt, explained, “Corpsmen are very special to us Marines. They took a lot of kidding and good-natured harassment from the Marines, but we all thought of these Corpsmen as fellow Marines. We knew that under enemy fire these Corpsmen would get to us to provide medical aid.”

Controversy over Expanding the War

In March of 1969, President Richard M. Nixon’s administration launched “Operation Menu” with the secret bombing of Communist bases and supply zones located outside of Vietnam—in neighboring Cambodia. The move was highly controversial to an already divided, war-weary American people. As the commander-in-chief of the military, the limits of a president’s power to expand a war without the prior approval of Congress were tested.

When the moves into officially neutral Cambodia produced large caches of captured enemy arms, HM2 Kempel wrote a letter to President Nixon: “It would appear that we of the ground troops are the only ones who fully realize the meaningful importance of your move,” Michael wrote. “If they [critics] could see them [the captured arms], they would be able to see your reasons behind a most critical decision.”

Nixon’s personal letter in response was a prized possession of Michael Kempel and his family. The president wrote, “I have received the very thoughtful letter in which you and eight of your colleagues expressed support for my recent actions to enhance the safety of American servicemen and move toward the just peace we all seek. I am grateful for the generous sentiments that prompted your letter and I very much appreciate your comments.”

Courage Under Fire

On August 27, 1970, HM2 Kempel’s Company M was on patrol in Vietnam’s Quang Nam Province when they unwittingly moved into an enemy minefield. The point Marine stepped on a mine and was critically wounded. Other Marines were also seriously wounded in the explosion.

Enemy sniper fire erupted on the platoon from a nearby tree line. Despite the gunfire and the likelihood of more land mines, HM2 Kempel ran to the front of the platoon to provide medical aid to the fallen Marines. As he came close to the point Marine, he stepped on a second mine and was critically wounded himself. He ignored his own wounds and tended to the fallen Marine, still under sniper fire.

At age 22, HM2 Micheal Kempel would not survive his wounds. Within days of the action, Kempel’s commanding officer, 1st Lt. Pelt, nominated him for the Silver Star Medal.

Somehow the paperwork was lost, requiring another nomination decades later. 33 years after HM2 Kempel’s courage and sacrifice, he was finally recognized—and the Silver Star Medal was presented to his family. The citation reads:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Hospital Corpsman Second Class Michael Richard Kempel (NSN: 2429248), United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Corpsman with Company M, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division in connection with operations against insurgent communist forces in the Republic of Vietnam on 27 August 1970. Petty Officer Kempel was a member of Company M patrolling just north of Liberty Bridge in Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam. When his platoon unknowingly entered an enemy minefield, the point Marine stepped on a hidden mine. The resulting explosion critically wounded the point Marine and seriously wounded several other Marines. With total disregard for his safety, knowing there were other mines in the vicinity, Petty Officer Kempel moved to the front of the platoon to provide aid to the wounded marines. As he neared the seriously wounded point marine, Hospital Corpsman Second Class Kempel stepped on another hidden mine, suffering multiple critical wounds from the explosion. Ignoring his wounds, Petty Officer Kempel crawled to the point marine and attempted to render medical aid until he succumbed to his wounds. His resolute effort throughout the engagement was a source of inspiration to all who observed him. By his outstanding professional skill, fortitude in the face of enemy fire, and unfaltering dedication to duty, Hospital Corpsman Second Class Kempel’s actions reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service.

HM2 Micheal R. Kempel was laid to rest in his hometown, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He is honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., with his name inscribed on Panel 07W, Line 17.

Sources
Details submitted by Dennis Kempel (HM2 Kempel’s brother) and Bill Sheehan
Akron Beacon Journal, Aug. 30, 1970: Nixon’s Letter Consoles Parents
WOIO 19 News, Oct. 23, 2003: Vietnam medic awarded posthumous Silver Star
Akron Beacon Journal, Nov. 2, 2003: Soldier’s family receives his Silver Star 33 years later
Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The Wall of Faces: Michael Richard Kempel
Military Times, Hall of Valor: Michael Richard Kempel
Together We Served: Kempel, Michael Richard, HM2
Burial Site: Find a Grave