Thomas
Blagg
Blagg
COL · HQ ·
Known as "Tom"
In-Country Service
1971-07 – 1972-06
Home of Record
Little Rock, Pulaski County, AR
Character of Service
Honorable
Archive Status
Active
Primary sources: Encyclopedia of Arkansas entry (Gene Foreman, retired managing editor, Philadelphia Inquirer; last updated 26 Apr 2026); Arkansas State University ROTC Hall of Heroes Silver Star citation; Colorado Springs Gazette obituary (Feb 2023, via U.S. Special Forces Taps); Colin Powell's memoir *My American Journey*. If you served with or knew Thomas Blagg, please use the contribute form to share what you remember.
1964-08-30
Silver Star
Silver Star action — Song So Ha River, August 30, 1964
Captain Blagg, a Special Forces "A" Detachment Commander, was leading a 30-man South Vietnamese combat patrol along the Song So Ha River (the Cambodia/South Vietnam border) when it was ambushed by a battalion-size NVA unit from dug-in positions across the river. Wounded in the face with his right arm shattered by enemy fire, he strapped his badly wounded interpreter to his back, radioed for reinforcements, and fought a withdrawal to the linkup point before reversing the battle with a counterattack that drove the NVA back into Cambodia.
1971-06-24
Confirmed present
Southeast of FSB Fontaine, high saddle, Binh Tuy Province, RVN
1971-06-24
Confirmed present
A mountain redoubt near old LZ Fontaine, Binh Tuy Province, RVN
1971-07
Command
Assumed command of 2/8 Cavalry — mid-1971
Returned to Vietnam for a second tour, "eager to get back," as commander of an infantry battalion of the 1st Cavalry Division — the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry — succeeding LTC W.G. Bacon.
1971-10-21
Nui Ba Mountains
Nui Ba Mountains contact — October 21, 1971
With his battalion in contact and the medevac helicopter refusing to fly into the ongoing firefight, LTC Blagg flew his own helicopter in to extract the body of PFC William Makowski.
1971-10-21
Probably present
Nui Ba Mountains, Binh Tuy Province, RVN
2023-01-22
Died
Died — Colorado Springs, January 22, 2023
Died at home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, age 88. Survived by three daughters, four sisters, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren; predeceased by his wife of 64 years, Billy J. Blagg, two brothers, and a sister.
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