Bravery Throughout
By Matthew Clifford
Ronald Dusch, post military service, courtesy of gazette.com.
Ronald Eugene Dusch
January 11, 1938 – August 5, 2005
Bravery can be hard to come by. For Ronald Eugene Dusch, however, bravery was almost second-nature. Born January 11, 1938, to Emma Van Horn and Charles Dusch, Ronald moved around a fair bit in his youth. His life started in Youngstown, Ohio,[1] but his family would move to Sandy, Pennsylvania[2] and Dearborn, Michigan. After moving from Sandy to Dearborn, Ronald joined the school football and basketball teams at Lowrey High School, being a member of their junior high teams.[3]
Soon after the Korean War ended, Dusch would enlist in the Army in 1957 at the age of 19 and would have a notable career in the military. He would be sent to West Germany after his initial enlistment, as Korea had ended a few years prior and Vietnam had yet to start. Germany had become a military hot-zone, due to the Cold War tensions between East and West Germany, controlled by the Soviets and the Allies, respectively. Here, in West Germany, Dusch would meet his wife, Edith. Once the war in Vietnam began, Dusch was sent there for his service, serving two tours there, with a small gap between them in 1968 where he moved himself and his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. After the move, he would return to Vietnam for the second tour. During his tours, Dusch would be awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, with two Oak Clusters, signifying that he had been awarded the Bronze Star multiple times.
One story of his service was related by the Tropic Lightning News, a newspaper run by the soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division, where it was described that Dusch managed to probe out two different Viet Cong trap doors, leading to the capture of nine Viet Cong soldiers.[4] This was par for the course, especially in the 2nd Battalion from the 12th Infantry, who were known for their bunker-clearing prowess, and in 1971, were reported as finding “one of the largest bunker complexes that has been discovered in this area in over two years.”[5] Not only this, but the 2nd Battalion would receive the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest award for a military unit, for their participation in the battle of Suoi Tre.[6] During the battle of Suoi Tre, parts of the 3rd Brigade tried to establish a fire base in Suoi Tre, only for their patrols to trigger an ambush of mortars and extreme gunfire.[7] The 2nd Battalion of the 12th Infantry would be called upon to come to their aid, and despite heavy mortar and sniper fire, would trek through 2.5 km of dense forests and eventually reach the pinned down 3rd Brigade.[8] With the help of other units arriving, the tides shifted, and the battle became known as having the largest number of Viet Cong killed in action at the time, with 647 killed.[9] His bravery shown through during his time in Vietnam, but it would continue to show following his retirement from the Army in 1977, 20 years after his initial enlistment. For his time in Vietnam, Dusch would receive the Vietnam Service Medal with 6 stars, each star signifying participation in a Vietnam campaign.[10]
After his time in the military, Ronald Dusch collaborated with his son Gary in 1989 to start their very own business, Dutch’s Home Improvements.[11] While it may not be fighting a war, Ronald was still brave even as a civilian, daring to start a business from scratch. The business remains today, specializing in windows, doors, and siding. Today, Dutch’s Home Improvement is in the hands of Gary, Dusch passed away August 5, 2005, after a lengthy battle with cancer, approaching the fight with his custom brand of bravery until the end.
Footnotes ↓
[1] “1940 United States Federal Census,” ancestry.com, accessed August 23, 2025, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/2442/records/34349942.
[2] “1950 United States Federal Census,” ancestry.com, accessed August 23, 2025, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/62308/records/243172018.
[3] “U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016.” ancestry.com, accessed August 23, 2025, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/1265/records/1346659612.
[4] “Tropical Lightning News,” February 10, 1969, accessed August 23, 2025, https://www.25thida.org/TLN/tln4-06.htm.
[5] “Tropical Lightning News.” January 25, 1971, accessed August 23, 2025, https://www.25thida.org/TLN/tln6-02.htm.
[6] “12th Infantry Regiment,” n.d. 25th Infantry Division Association, accessed August 23, 2025, https://www.25thida.org/units/infantry/12th-infantry-regiment/.
[7] “Suoi Tre - March 21, 1967,” Vietnam Triple Deuce, April 1, 1967, accessed August 23, 2025, https://www.vietnamtripledeuce.org/battles.htm.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] “Code of Federal Regulations,” August 1, 2008, accessed August 23, 2025, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2008-title32-vol3/xml/CFR-2008-title32-vol3-sec578-26.xml.
[11] “Ronald Dusch Obituary,” August 10, 2005, accessed August 23, 2025, https://obits.gazette.com/us/obituaries/gazette/name/ronald-dusch-obituary?id=26585109.
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