Humbert Roque Versace ★ Vietnam War Gold Star Veteran from Virginia
On September 26, 1965 Captain Versace was declared a casualty of the Vietnam War. ★ He served with honor in the United States Army. ★ He is remembered by the people of Virginia. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
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Click to Submit Update Request for this Fallen Service Member▼ Content Integrity Note
Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Humbert Roque Versace is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2020-08-28 05:28:44.
Missing : Core Data
· Enlistment type· Date of tour or service
Missing : Supplemental Data
· Marriage history· Parents, family history
· Expanded references and citations
Service Details
| This Profile ID | 303272 |
| Service ID | 87417 |
| Name | Humbert Roque Versace |
| From | Norfolk, Norfolk County, Virginia |
| Birth Date | July 2, 1937 |
| Casualty Date | September 26, 1965 |
| War | Vietnam War |
| Service Branch | Army |
| Rank | Captain |
| Specialty | Combat Intelligence Staff Officer |
| Unit/Group | Special Forces, 5th Special Forces Group, Detachment A 23 Tan Phu, Infantry |
| Casualty Type | Died while captured by enemy .. small arms fire .. body not recovered |
| Location | South Vietnam, Quang Ngai province |
| Burial | Arlington National Cemetery and Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial |
| Notable Awards |
★ Medal of Honor
★ Silver Star
★ Prisoner of War Medal
★ Purple Heart |
| Remembered | 
Humbert Roque Versace is buried or memorialized at Arlington National Cemetery and Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. This is a National American Cemetery administered through the Department of the Army.  Humbert is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 01e, Line 33. |
Additional Details
Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace was a United States Army officer of Puerto Rican-Italian descent who was awarded the United States' highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions while a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. He was the first member of the US Army to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions performed in Southeast Asia while in captivity.He was born in Honolulu, Honolulu county, Hawaii. He was the eldest of five children born to Marie Teresa RÃos, who was the author of three books, including the Fifteenth Pelican, on which The Flying Nun (starring Sally Field), the TV series of the 1960s, was based. Versace grew up in Alexandria, Virginia and attended Gonzaga College High School in the District of Columbia during his freshman and sophomore years. His junior year he attended Frankfurt American High School in Germany. As had his father before him, Versace entered the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1959. Less than two weeks before the end of his tour in Vietnam, on October 29, 1963, Versace was captured and taken to a prison deep in the jungle along with two other Americans, Lieutenant Nick Rowe and Sergeant Dan Pitzer. During his captivity, Captain Versace was segregated in an isolated cage, manacled in irons for prolonged periods of time, and placed on extremely reduced rations. He tried to escape four times, but failed in his attempts. Versace insulted the Viet Cong during the indoctrination sessions and cited the Geneva Convention treaty time after time. The last time the prisoners heard his voice, he was loudly singing "God Bless America". On September 26, 1965, North Vietnam’s "Liberation Radio†announced the execution of Captain Humbert Roque Versace. His remains have never been recovered. He was 26 years old. On July 8, 2002, in a ceremony in the White House East Room, Versace was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President George W Bush for his heroism, the first time an Army POW had been awarded the nation's highest honor for actions in captivity. |
Commendations + Awards
Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
★ Medal of Honor
★ Silver Star
★ Prisoner of War Medal
★ Purple Heart
★ Combat Infantryman Badge
★ Marksmanship Badge
★ National Defense Service Medal
★ Vietnam Campaign Medal
★ Vietnam Service Medal
★ Army Presidential Unit Citation
★ Vietnam Gallantry Cross
Notable Reference Sources
These are typically links to pages on external sites that have provided specific nodes of information. In most cases the information has some assurance of being crowd-sourced and vetted by a community of users.Virginia Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Virginia who gave their all for their country. May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world. Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
▼ Virginia was home to over 10,961 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 1,745 World War I
• 7,029 World War II
• 882 Korean War
• 1,305 Vietnam War
• 202 Prisoners of war
• 1,661 Missing in action
• 31 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 233 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 9 Medal of Honor recipients
• 7,029 World War II
• 882 Korean War
• 1,305 Vietnam War
• 202 Prisoners of war
• 1,661 Missing in action
• 31 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 233 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 9 Medal of Honor recipients
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Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
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