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Joseph M. Berkson
Captain
BDQ (ARVN RANGERS), ADV TEAM 95, 3RD REG ASSIST CMD (TRAC), MACV ADVISORS, MACV Army of the United States Chicago, Illinois April 22, 1947 to May 02, 1972 JOSEPH M BERKSON is on the Wall at Panel W1, Line 10 |
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The son of Roslyn and Kenneth Berkson, Joseph was raised in the Chicago Area. Growing up in Chicago, his father had owned the Berkson Brothers Toy Store, and later worked as a buyer for the Zahn Drug Company. "Joey" attended Bowen High School in Chicago, where he participated in Junior Reserve Officer Training (JROTC). Because he knew he wanted a career in the Army at age 13, he worked hard and did well in both High School and college. During his time in Bowen High School, he rose to the rank of Cadet Major and earned the following awards" 1963: Gold and Silver Award from Chicago Tribune along with the honor of leading the Memorial Day Parade in May 1963; January 1965 - Chicago Board of Trade American Legion Post Citation; May 1965 - Reserve Officer Association award among others. He was part of the City Corps of Cadets. 
The picture below in his ROTC uniform was taken after his summer encampment and includes his medals from high school and college. On Sunday, 8 December 1968, this photo (along with R.J. Freeston - a draft dodger) appeared in the Chicago Tribune Magazine in an article titled "SOME WILL BE DAMNED; SOME WILL BE DEAD". 
The article began with "The difference between the draft resister and the man from the R.O.T.C. is more than a question of being afraid and not being afraid. It even goes beyond a man's ideals. Even so, the college student does buy himself a four-year reprieve from military service, but this purchase often disturbs his conscience. He knows that because he is rich enough to afford a college education or bright enough to earn one, he has won a sanctuary denied to the poor and the stupid. Those who can't get into college often find themselves drafted before they turn 19, dead before they turn 20. Many students give this inequity only a passing thought, believing that their youth and brains and beauty confer upon them a natural superiority to the rest of society. The age of college is a time of appalling arrogance. But others are hounded by guilt because they know that, thru their fathers' money or a General Motors scholarship, they will live while others die." Thus began a multi-page article about how the young men in 1968 handled the draft for Vietnam. At the bottom of the first page is the text "Continued on page 50 Facing page: [photos of] two men at opposite ends of an issue. Joseph M. Berkson is battalion commander of the Chicago Circle campus R.O.T.C, and Robert J. Freeston has been sentenced three years in prison for refusing to be drafted into the Armed Forces." The article later noted that Joey appreciated the benefits the country had provided so he was willing to serve. It was also stated Berkson would make a good officer as his principles and intelligence are 'as solid as his stocky body' - - he had trimmed down 35 pounds during his six week summer camp. To Berkson, the army and life were alike in their demand for honor, duty, and hard work: virtues that have largely gone out of style on the campus. "I've worked all my college career," he says. "I've never been afraid of work." He works, in fact, as a uniformed security guard for the Burns Detective agency, in which capacity he was on duty at the Conrad Hilton hotel on the Wednesday night of the Democratic convention when the hippies and the police collided. His sympathies lie entirely with the police. "I was on the 11th floor of the Hilton," he remembers, "and I looked down there, and all I saw was a straight line of policemen, and they weren't clubbing anyone." He graduated from the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle (UICC) in June 1969, receiving his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant that day. Because he excelled in Military Science at UICC as well as during his JROTC career at Bowen, he was offered a Regular Army (RA) Commission for active duty, instead of a 'normal' US Army Reserve (USAR) Commission and going into a Reserve Component. Much of the information below was provided to his daughter Lauren by CPT Berkson's Commanding Officer, Colonel Teel. The record shows that CPT Berkson entered service 15 June 1969 with a Regular Army commission from the Reserve Officer Training Course (ROTC) at the University of Illinois. He began the 9 week-long Armor Officer Basic Course at Fort Knox, KY, on 16 July 1969. After completing that course, he was in casual and travel status enroute to Fort Benning, GA, to begin the Ranger Course on 11 November, 1969. He completed it on 22 January, 1970 and earned the specialty rating as Ranger. On 26 February 1970 his first unit assignment after completing Ranger training began in Europe as a tank platoon leader in B Company, 2d Battalion, 3d Armored Division. 
He was promoted to first lieutenant on 4 June 1970, and on 17 August 1970 he became the Support Platoon Leader in Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2d Battalion, 3d Armored Division. That is an important logistical role in a tactical battalion, and his selection for that position reflects that he stood out among his contemporaries. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal in 1971 and was promoted to captain on 4 June 1971. He received the additional Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) as a Supply Staff Officer on 8 June 1971. On 8 September 1971, he left Europe and on 17 September began a 6 week-long course for military advisors at Fort Bragg, NC. en route to Vietnam. He arrived in Vietnam on 14 December 1971. His initial duty was Supply Coordinator, Third Regional Assistance Command (TRAC), US Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV). His record of assignment shows that he was considered "detailed to General Staff Not With Troops" and not in his basic branch as an Armor officer. Colonel Teel stated "I believe that he received the Army Commendation Medal with first oak leaf cluster then." 
"On 23 February 1972 he became the Logistics and Admin Advisor to the Ranger Command of TRAC [earning his BDQ Ranger Badge]. Your dad joined 5th Ranger Group on 3 April 1972, as my assistant senior advisor. He was a tremendous asset and loved advising and assisting the Vietnamese and his fellow advisory team members in times of great personal risk." [end of Colonel Teel's comments] 
CPT Berkson's Casualty Report included a short statement: "Individual was killed while a passenger on military aircraft on a military mission when the aircraft was fired upon by a hostile ground force, crashed and burned." The complete details were revealed in later documents. The aircraft was hit by a hand held Surface to Air Missle (SA-7), 11 Kilomters South-SouthEast of Quang Tri City. Local area papers published reports similar to this initial report. 
When the Huey was shot down, it was in the midst of NVA forces and it was not possible to insert ground units to recover the crewmen, who were classified as Missing in Action. Seven weeks later, on 20 Jul 1972, friendly forces were able to reach the wreckage and recover the remains. However, it was not until 22 May 1973 that it could be confirmed that all five men who were aboard Tail Number 70-15863 had died in the crash. The five men aboard were:
As a result of his efforts, he was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's 3rd highest award for Valor. 
Captain Joseph M Berkson was survived by his wife, Joan (Beerensson) Berkson, daughter Lauren Ann Berkson, mother Roslyn L. (Neuberg) Berkson (1917-2011), and Joey's sister Robin. He was preceded in death by his father Kenneth Berkson (1915-1968) who served during World War II. Joey and his parents are buried together in Menorah Section, Lot 395, Memorial Park Cemetery and Crematorium, Skokie, Cook County, Illinois. 
- - The Virtual Wall, March 12, 2020
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Aug 16, 2019
Florida newspaper article Lauren Berkson's father, Army Capt. Joseph M. Berkson, was killed in Vietnam on May 2, 1972 at age 25. She was 10 months old. On Wednesday, the Riviera Beach woman, representing Palm Beach County Gold Star Families, asked the Town Council for permission to erect a marker in Palm Beach recognizing families whose members made the ultimate sacrifice. "I want people to know we live in the best country in the world, and that freedom isn't free," Berkson said. There would be no names on the marker, which would read: "A tribute to the Gold Star Families whose loved ones paid the ultimate price defending the United States of America." Palm Beach is one of 16 county municipalities where Berkson hopes to see Gold Star memorials to give the families and other citizens a place to reflect or heal. She is asking to erect a bronze marker, 16 inches by 12 inches, on the left wall at Memorial Park by Town Hall. If the town approves it in time, she wants the marker in place for a dedication ceremony immediately before the Nov. 12 council meeting, which will be the day after Veterans Day. Mayor Gail Coniglio and council members welcomed the proposal. But she told Berkson the proposal will require Landmarks Preservation Commission review before coming back to the council for final approval. The park is a town landmark. "Many in our community have served," Coniglio said. "I am hopeful this community will tip our hats and show our appreciation." Council President Danielle Moore asked town staff to help "fast track" the process so it would be possible to meet the Nov. 12 dedication goal. The application could be on the Landmarks Board meeting agenda as early as next month, Public Works Director Paul Brazil said. Friends of Veterans Inc. adopted Palm Beach County Gold Star Families to help promote awareness by establishing multiple markers in the county. In December, West Palm Beach city commissioners approved a Gold Star Families Memorial Monument at Trinity Park on Flagler Drive. The dedication date is Sept. 25. In deciding where to place memorials, Berkson said the group chose cities or towns that have a park or an event commemorating Veterans Day or Memorial Day. Councilwoman Margaret Zeidman thanked Berkson for her effort. "I'm an absolute proponent of what you're trying to do," Zeidman said. - - The Virtual Wall, March 13, 2020
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