 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund |
Remember...Michael Robert Norton
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Michael Robert Norton ("Mike") was born January 26, 1948, in Eskdale, Kanawha County, West Virginia, to Denver C. Norton and Pauline Marcella Bradshaw Norton. Denver was a coal miner; he and Pauline had their first daughter in the 1930s and continued to add to the large family through the 1950s. All told, it appears that there were possibly ten siblings. Starting with Florence Ann, Mike's older siblings included Devonia Nina, Charlotte Sue, Chester Doyle, James L. [or James S.], and Roger Steven. After Mike's birth in 1948 came Eleanor Jewell, Charles Lee, and Jackie Ray. (Family information from 1950 Federal Census, My Reed Family Tree, and THE tree_AutoBAckup_2011-12-26 Family Tree on Ancestry.com.)
Research for this article provided little in the way of what the early life of Mike was like. It can be assumed that he attended public schools in the upper Kanawha Valley. His projected high school graduation date would have been 1966. With the Vietnam War in full force in the mid-1960s and America's young men subject to the draft, Michael Robert Norton entered the U.S. Army. He was assigned to Battery C, 5th Battalion, 27th Artillery Regiment, 1st Field Force. His tour of Vietnam began on January 9, 1969; ten months later he would lose his life in that struggle. The full story of the defense and subsequent abandonment of Firebase Kate can be found in a book by William Albracht and Marvin J. Wolf, Abandoned in Hell: The Fight for Vietnam's Firebase Kate (2016). Captain William Albracht was considered the youngest Army captain in Vietnam at the time, and he valiantly led the offensive at the fire support base but was forced to withdraw. Michael's role in the events of Firebase Kate can be viewed in documents found on the Coffelt Database website. Briefly, a post by W. Killian in the "Remembrances" section of the Wall of Faces of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund relates:
On November 2, 1969, PFC Michael R. Norton was a gunner with an artillery battery at a forward fire support base, FSB Kate, in Quang Duc Province, RVN, near the Cambodian border. The fire base was in jeopardy of hostile enemy attack and being overrun, therefore, the unit was pulling out of the area. During the withdrawal, the unit came under enemy .51 caliber machine gun fire and was dispersed into the jungle. By the time they had regrouped the next day, it was reported that PFC Norton was with the unit. The unit then moved on to link up with a mobile strike force which was to guide them to Bu Prang. When they arrived at Bu Prang, it was discovered that Norton was not present, and it was determined that he was last seen at a LZ (landing zone) near where the unit began the trip. Aerial searches of the LZ and surrounding area were conducted with no success and Norton was classified as Missing in Action. He was promoted [to]. . . Sergeant First Class during the time he [was] unaccounted for. (Posted 25 April 2018.)
While it has been difficult to unearth hard facts regarding the life of Mike Norton, folks writing in the "Remembrances" section of the Wall of Faces of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund attest to the kind of man he was. Remembering Mike, Gene Lombardi writes: "You were my best buddy, I will never forget you & all the times in Nam that we shared!" From Ed Kleck: "Mike I hope that child [see photo] remembers you. Shows that you had a big heart and thought of those poor children in Vietnam." Notes Debra Keyes: "You served and died with my neighborhood friend, Thomas Curtis, I know you are together, and I will never forget your service and sacrifice to our great nation."
| Sfc. Norton is honored at several locations, including the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial; the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. (Panel 16W, Line 23); and the West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston, West Virginia. With no remains to inter stateside, the family chose to commemorate him with a cenotaph at Woodside Cemetery, Quarrier, Kanawha County. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues in its efforts to bring home all those lost on foreign soil. |  |
For his sacrifice, Michael Robert Norton was awarded the Purple Heart. According to the HonorStates.org website, he was eligible for, and likely received, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Army Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnam Gallantry Cross.
Article prepared by Patricia Richards McClure
October 2025
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
