Richard Wisenfelder Jr. of the Parlin section of Sayreville recently received the Korean Defense Service Medal for honored service to his country while on active duty in the DMZ (demilitarized zone) in Korea in 1985.
Wisenfelder, a graduate of Sayreville War Memorial High School, enlisted in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps while still a junior in high school. After graduation, he was sent to Fort McClellan, Ala., where he completed basic training and Military Police (MP) School. After finishing the MP program, he received orders to be deployed along with other members of his unit to Korea.
Assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, 2nd Military Police Company, Wisenfelder performed MP security, village patrols, military-checkpoint security and martial-law patrols at night in the villages. The tasks were often conducted alongside his Korean police and MP counterparts attached to the 8th Army.
After serving in Korea, Wisenfelder was assigned to the 108th Military Police Company (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., where he served his remaining duty while being deployed to missions such as Honduras and other areas of Central America.
The Korean Defense Service Medal, which was authorized by the 107th Congress in 2004, is designed to offer special recognition for the sacrifices and contributions made by members of the U.S. military who have served or are serving in the Republic of Korea.