Their Story
Michael Kevin Maloney was born in Alton, Illinois, on March 20, 1945, to Daniel and Emily Maloney. He had four brothers and three sisters. Maloney married Leanne Smith on March 22, 1969, in East Moline, Illinois.1 They had a son David.
Maloney was a 1967 St. Ambrose College graduate. Prior to his service in the Army, he had been employed as an accountant by the firm of Golden, Kutsunis and Hoover in Rock Island, Illinois.2
Maloney entered the U.S. Army in December 1967, and was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky, before being sent to Vietnam on October 27, 1970. He was assigned to Advisory Team 88 of the Military Assistance Command (MACV) located in Ben Tre as an Operations and Training Staff Officer.3
The Vietnam War was a fight between nationalistic forces attempting to unify the control of Vietnam under a communist government and the United States and its ally South Vietnam attempting to prevent the spread of communism. The United States lost 58,220 military personnel during the conflict.4
The U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) was a joint-service command of the United States Department of Defense. MACV was formed in early 1962 in response to the increase in assistance to South Vietnam by the United States military.5
MACV Teams were small groups of Americans often located in remote areas supported by Vietnamese forces. The Advisory Team members served within South Vietnam’s 44 provinces and over two hundred districts and were also assigned to Army of the Republic (ARVN) divisions.6
Captain Maloney was killed in action on February 25, 1970, when the vehicle he was riding in struck a mine. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Star Medal for his service in the U.S. Army.7 On August 12, 1971, his wife, Leanne, was presented with the medals he was awarded posthumously, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal, at the Rock Island Arsenal.8
Funeral services for Michael K. Maloney were held at St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Church in East Moline, Illinois. Maloney was survived by wife Leanne; son David; his parents; three sisters, Sharon, Martha, and Mary Beth; and four brothers, David, John, James, and Stephen.9
References
1 Obituary for Michael Kevin Maloney – Newspapers.com
2 Obituary for Michael Kevin Maloney – Newspapers.com
3 “Together We Served,” MACV Advisory Team 88 Kien Hoa Province – Army Unit Directory – Together We Served
4 “Vietnam: A History of America’s Controversial War,” Vietnam: A History of America’s Controversial War (historynet.com)
5 Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Wikipedia
6 “MAC Teams,” Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Wikipedia
7 Michael K Maloney’s memorial page – Honor Veterans Legacies at VLM (va.gov)
8 12 Aug 1971, 33 – Quad-City Times at Newspapers.com