Honor your hero with thoughts, memories, images and stories.
It took our family 43 years to find the truth of what happened on Good Friday, 04 APR 1969. We were first notified by Western Union telegram that Mike was killed by a land mine. A few weeks after we received official records that he had been shot. With the conflicting information, our parents, Harold and Charlene, began searching for information from the Department of Defense, 101st Airborne Headquarters and the men on a roster my Mother somehow obtained from an official. One LT that had been over Mike’s 3rd platoon 1/506th Infantry 101st Airborne. Mike was the combat medic assigned to the unit. The LT told our parents numerous stories over a few years. Mother was not satisfied with the answers but did believe a great part of what she and Daddy had been told. In the spring of 1995 she received a response from the SGT who was with Mike the day he was killed and found that the LT was not in the field that day and had been removed from 3rd platoon about 3 weeks prior. This was very upsetting and caused such heartache. Starting over the search took it’s toll on my parents so DEC 2003 they asked me to take over the search for them. They just couldn’t do it anymore. I began my search by going through all the paperwork my parents had received over the years then started double checking everything and using the internet to find contact information for men on the rosters. A few I found on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Page. By OCT 2011, the men from Co B had contacted our family. One of the men had been in the field the day Mike was killed. He had contact with other men from Co B who had searched for their comrades and started searching all the Gold Star families of the KIA’s that kept them awake at night. The man who was there when Mike was killed only lives 55 min from me. He contacted all the siblings and I am the only one who agreed to meet with him. My husband, Dave and I met the man and his wife for dinner. I took several pictures for him to help identify some of the men that Mike had not had time to label. He told me what he remembered. I informed him that I only want to see the records from the National archives for our family will not be hurt again by false stories. The man was on the verge of crying and assured me he would have someone contact me soon to assist in getting the records. A retired COL from New Jersey assisted me. I gradually gave him facts I had been able to find and by late March 2012, I had the facts of what had accurred and was able to tell my Mother the truth before she died on Holy Saturday, 07 APR 2012. Our family has been invoted to all the Co B reunions every year. Dave and I have gone to all of them. Over the course of the investigation I have been honored to converse either by email, phone messages or in person will all who knew Mike and was there the day he was killed. He has been honored by at special ceremonys such as the Tree of Honor and Gold Star Family Memorial Monument groundbreaking where I spoke at telling his and our family’s story. There are two signs that say ‘SP4 Michael H Flood Memorial Highway’ between Toledo and Greenup Illinois on Rte 121. They were erected 02 AUG 2018. We had a dedication ceremony on 05 AUG 2018 which brought close to 400 people from Cumberland County to honor not only Mike but the other 5 KIA’s from the Vietnam War. Honor, Remember, Speak Their Names Daily and they shall NEVER be forgotten.
Mike was killed while giving aid to a soldier from Co E (Recon) below Firebase Vehgel above the A Shau Valley. His and another comrades remains were not recovered for 3 days due to the units in the area being surrounded by around 250 NVA. Many men were wounded and a total of 6 more KIA’s resulted during this recovery. NO MAN LEFT BEHIND is the motto for every soldier. Their sacrifices will not be forgotten.
SP4 MICHAEL H FLOOD RECEIVED THESE MEDALS WHILE SERVING OUR GREAT NATION SILVER STAR BRONZE STAR PURPLE HEART ARMY GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL NATIONAL DEFENSE MEDAL VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL RVN MILITARY MERIT RVN GALLANTRY CROSS WITH PALM VIETNAM CAMPAIGN COMBAT MEDICAL BADGE, SHARP SHOOTER AUTO RIFLE, M-14, M-16, BAYONET AND HAND GRENADE BARS
Youngest brother Larry made a new display in honor of Mike so everything was in the correct order according to our Armed Forces regulations of presentation.
Memorial highway sign at Rte 121 and 1450 E Toledo, IL. This intersection leads to our family farm north about 3 miles.
Mike’s memorial highway sign located on Rte 121 and 1600 E Greenup, IL. This sign is located just a feet yards north of the I-70 over and the bridge going over the Embarass River. The I-70 interstate was being built in 1969. In between these two signs is the high school where we all attended and is located on the south side of the highway. On the north side of the highway a few yards from the high school are homes that were built by high school students taking building and trades class. Mike helped build two of the homes and all are still used as home dwellings. I was told that all that helped build the homes wrote their names on the rafters of each home that was built by the high school students.
We had a tree taken down in October 2018. I had them leave a large part of the trunk to have a carving done. This carving is what I settled to have done by Bill Baker, Top Notch Carvings, Glen Ellyn, IL. Our backyard is a wonderful place for honoring Mike. Many slow to admire it and a few sneak into the yard for a closer look.
I have been able to get Gold Star Lapel Pins for 8 people who never received them after that knock on the door during the Vietnam War. Every one of them are so thankful that they have this small symbol of their fallen’s sacrifice and their continued strife to ensure they are honored.
You are being honored in Normal Illinois with a banner which will be on display from Memorial Day to Veterans Day every year. Maybe someday our hometown of Toledo, IL will follow the other towns who are remembering their fallen heroes.
Doc Mike Flood was our medic. He was a great guy and took good care of us. I remember several times he treated me for open sore infections. The last time he teated me we were in the A Shau Valley where we spent a lot of our time. I had sores and swelling up and down both legs so he sent me back to camp to get treated. Medical records show this was on April 4, 1969. I found that Mike died later that same day. I learned this from another platoon member three weeks ago that I finally found and contacted after all these years. Learning this devastated me and I wept. So many good people died over there and that haunts me every day...