Miami County veteran Norman honored for his heroism in Vietnam

Fifty years may have passed, but Donna Beam still recalls the pain of waiting to hear the fate of her brother, a Marine assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Saigon in the last days of the Vietnam War.

“We didn’t know if he was going to come home alive. It was three weeks before we heard,” Beam of Tipp City, said of her brother, Dave Norman. “He’s my big brother and always protected me.”

Norman, then age 21, survived the evacuation of the Embassy, where he and 10 others were left on the roof after evacuating thousands of Americans and South Vietnamese.

They waited 19 hours for a helicopter to come back and pick them up. The April 1975 evacuation was one of the key stories of the war in Southeast Asia. Beam eventually learned of Norman’s role in the evacuation and his survival.

He went on to serve a total of 30 years in the Marine Corps before returning home to Ohio and serving 26 years with the Miami County Sheriff’s Office.

He retired as a captain last year. Norman, elected county auditor in the fall, was recognized Friday, May 16, for his heroism in Vietnam and his service to the community in a surprise ceremony at the county Courthouse.

“What he did was so important for us and our country,” said Commission President Ted Mercer. “Norman is among the 'true American heroes' for his actions in Vietnam and beyond,” said Commissioner Wade Westfall.

They were among a series of speakers, including Congressman Warren Davidson and State Rep. Johnathan Newman who joined the ceremony or sent a representative to present proclamations and commendations.

“You (said) you felt like God was with you, and God was the one who sent the helicopter to rescue you,” Newman said.