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Certificate of Membership Given In Honor of Soldier |
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The Daily Sentinental Nancy Deerman, the widow of Lt. Dennis Wade Deerman, was recently presented with a Certificate of Membership from the 8th Battalion, 4th Field Artillery Association to honor her late husband's military contributions.
Life began for Dennis Wade Deerman on Sept. 7, 1944 in the community of Dutton. He earned his high school diploma from Scottsboro High School and went on to receive a degree from Northeast Alabama Community College.
After college, Lt. Deerman attended the United States Army Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
From October 1968 to October 1969, be served in Vietnam as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Field Artillery.
While in Vietnam, Lt. Deerman served as an artilleryman with A and B Battery of the 8th Bn/4th FA at fire bases known as “Rockpile” and “C-2”.
The battalion was assigned to the DMZ area and made up of heavy artillery such as 175-mm guns and 8-inch howitzers, which were capable of firing 147-pound and 204-pound projectiles from 16 to 32 kilometers away [8" - 16.8km; 175mm - 32.8km].
His duties included being assigned to the fire direction center, serving as an assistant to the executive officer and participating in operations insuring the battery was combat ready in all weather conditions.
After completing his service in Vietnam, Lt. Deerman worked as a salesman for Crest Cadillac and was the top salesman in the Southeast, making him a member of the Crest Club, which is Cadillac's Top Salesman honor. In 1993 he started DWD Plastics with his wife and oversaw its operations until his death on Nov. 5, 2001.
A few months after his passing, the 8th Battalion, 4th Field. Artillery Association located the . whereabouts of Lt. Deerman's wife and planned to present the Certificate of Membership to her.
The purpose of the certificate is to honor the hard work and effort that Lt. Deerman gave during his service time in the United States Army. During his life, Lt. Deerman received several military honors including the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and Army Service Medal.
The certificate contains a map of the DMZ area of Vietnam in which he served and holds reflections of several operations and the names of the units supported by the battalion.
Scottsboro, Alabama