Incredible Sacrifice

By Mathew Greenlee

Maximo Yabes

January 29, 1932-February 26, 1967.

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Maximo (Max) Yabes was born on January 29, 1932 in Lodi California,[1] though he would not stay in California for long. His family would move him to Oakridge, Oregon[2] shortly after his birth where he would remain until he dropped out of Oakridge High School[3] to join the Army in 1950. Max grew up in a nation at war. When he was thirteen, the Allies declared victory in Europe and then victory in Japan, recognizing their triumph over the Axis powers and celebrating the end of the Second World War. Max would likely hear stories during his teenage years of victory, bravery, heroism, and sacrifice that many of those who had fought in the war came home with. The other stories of the post-war period, those of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and trauma, were only ever spoken of behind closed doors, if at all. What exactly compelled Maximo to join the Army instead of remaining in school is difficult and perhaps impossible to say. It can, however, be said without a doubt that the stories he heard from the Second World War likely left an impression.

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After joining the Army, Maximo left home to live and serve as a member of the military. Though he enlisted in 1950, he was not deployed to Korea. By no means did he let this time on peaceful bases go to waste, as his personal life may attest. In 1962, he would get a divorce from his first wife Sharon Campbell[4] and would marry his second wife, Janis Tracy, in 1964.[5]

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While he trained and served in the 82nd Airborne, the world descended further into conflict. From 1950 to 1953, the Korean War brought the whole world to the brink of nuclear war. Later, in 1965, after the infamous Gulf of Tonkin incidents, the American military began deploying troops in Vietnam. The conflict in Vietnam would last for approximately nineteen years. This conflict would be another Cold War era clash. Fought as a proxy war once again to prevent the falling of the Vietnamese “Domino,” the United States intervened as a method of containing the spread of Communism.

After living briefly in Hawaii with Janis, Maximo was deployed to Vietnam in 1967. Once deployed, he would have fifteen years of military experience under his belt and hold the rank of First Sergeant. He was stationed with the 9th Infantry primarily at Cu Chi.[6] The Vietnam war was dominated by jungle guerilla fighting, where frequent ambushes and surprise attacks pushed the troops there to the physical and psychological limit. In these fighting conditions, Max would, in the course of only a single year in Vietnam, receive two Combat Infantryman Badges, one Purple Heart, a National Defense Service Medal, a Vietnam Service Medal with one bronze star, a Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and finally his widow Janis was awarded a Medal of Honor is his stead.

On August 26, 1967, Maximo’s Battalion was attacked by a force outnumbering his own troops by almost four to one. His response, as told through his Medal of Honor citation, relates what happened next: “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Sgt. Yabes distinguished himself with Company A, which was providing security for a land clearing operation. Early in the morning the company suddenly came under intense automatic weapons and mortar fire followed by a battalion sized assault from 3 sides. Penetrating the defensive perimeter the enemy advanced on the company command post bunker…” With extreme acts of bravery, Max sacrificed himself to protect the command post, and even managed to halt the attack while saving several of his wounded comrades, neutralizing several enemy machine gun positions, and successfully, with the help of his comrades, repelling the assault. The citation goes on to say: “His indomitable fighting spirit, extraordinary courage and intrepidity at the cost of his life are in the highest military traditions and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.”[7]

Maximo’s widow Janis would choose her home state of Colorado to be his final resting place, as he was buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery with full military honors. His Medal of Honor was posthumously awarded to Janis by the Secretary of the Army Stanley Resor in 1968 as a method of recognizing his sacrifice and bravery. After his death, the people of Eugene, Oregon erected a memorial to his sacrifice, which displays a bust of his head and the full text of his Medal of Honor citation.

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Footnotes ↓

[1] California Birth Index, 1905-1995, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

[2] U.S., Vietnam War Military Casualties, 1956-1998, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2005.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Oregon, Divorce Records, 1961-1985, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

[5] Obituary of Janis A. Tracy, Crist Mortuary, Boulder, CO, http://www.tributes.com/obituary/print_selections/104409361?type=1.

[6] Vachon, Duane, Hawaii Reporter, “Almost Forgotten Hero – First Sergeant Maximo Yabes, U.S. Army (1932-1967),” http://www.hawaiireporter.com/almost-forgotten-hero-first-sergeant-maximo-yabes-u-s-army-1932-1967/

[7] Medal of Honor Recipients, Home of Heroes, Entry for Maximo Yabes, under Vietnam War. HomeofHeroes.com.

[8] Credit and thanks for this photo to Terri Nollau on Ancestry.com

[9] Credit and thanks for this photo to Terri Nollau on Ancestry.com

[10] Credit and thanks for this photo to user dusbrau on Ancestry.com

[11] Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

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