

Rank
and organization: Specialist Fourth
Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 3d Battalion, 60th Infantry, 9th
Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Vinh Long, Republic of Vietnam, 6
February 1968. Entered service at:
Seattle, Wash. Born:
4 March 1945,
Renton, Wash. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in
action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty Sp4c. Kinsman
(then Pfc.) distinguished himself in action in the afternoon while serving as a
rifleman with Company B, on a reconnaissance-in-force mission. As his company was proceeding up a narrow
canal in armored troops carriers, it came under sudden
and intense rocket, automatic weapons and small-arms fire from a well entrenched
Viet Cong force. The company immediately
beached and began assaulting the enemy bunker complex. Hampered by exceedingly dense undergrowth
which limited visibility to 10 meters, a group of 8 men became cut off from the
main body of the company. As they were
moving through heavy enemy fire to effect a link-up, an enemy soldier in a
concealed position hurled a grenade into their midst. Sp4c. Kinsman immediately alerted his
comrades of the danger, then unhesitatingly threw himself on the grenade and blocked
the explosion with his body. As a result
of his courageous action, he received severe head and chest wounds. Through his indomitable courage, complete
disregard for his personal safety and profound concern for his fellow soldiers,
Sp4c. Kinsman averted loss of life and injury to the other 7 men of his
element. Sp4c Kinsman’s extraordinary
heroism at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in
keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great
credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.