Fate brought them together in the jungles of Vietnam some 40 years ago. But love, respect and admiration brought Vietnam Veterans Ralph Kenney and Kenny Woodward back together earlier this week.

Pachuta resident Kenny Woodward traveled to the North Laurel home of Ralph Kenney to reflect and personally thank him for being among those soldiers who saved his life, as well as other members of the Charlie Company, who were surrounded by enemy soldiers on March 26, 1970.

Neither man knew the other was from Mississippi back then. In fact, Kenney didn’t know the names of those rescued by Troop Alpha, of which he was a member. Nor did Woodward know the names of rescuers.

“I can’t tell you how surprised I was to learn that he lived only about 25 miles from me,” said Kenney, who is owner of Laurel Fire & Safety. “It’s a small world. I had no idea that I would ever meet any of those guys. And after 40 years, I surely never though we would be honored by the President for what we did all those years ago.”

On Tuesday, Kenney, 60, and other members of Troop Alpha, 11th Armored Calvary unit were awarded a Presidential Unit Citation at the Pentagon Auditorium. Troop Alpha fought what has become known as “The Anonymous Battle,” which resulted in the rescue of a company of trapped fellow soldiers.

While Kenney said Troop Alpha did what it was trained to do, Woodward contends they didn’t have to risk their lives to save Charlie Company. “They were not ordered to come after us,” he said. “It was a decision made by Capt. John Poindexter and his soldiers.”

Poindexter, now a Houston, Texas businessman, was instrumental in Troop Alpha receiving its citation. He assumed his men had been recognized for their heroic rescue.

“When he discovered many of us had not been recognized, he started pursuing it,” said Kenney. “It was quite a surprise when I received the letter stating that we would receive the citation. It’s quite an honor.”

It’s hard to tell who is more excited by the citation — Kenney or Woodward. “When I heard Troop Alpha would receive the citation, I wanted to be there,” said Woodward, who is a retired hospital administrator. “I was right there with my captain during the whole ceremony.

“The Presidential Unit Citation is the highest honor given to a military unit,” explained Woodward. “It’s a great award for a great man.

“This guy right here is one of my heroes,” Woodward said of Kenney, as the two sat on the deck of Kenny’s North Laurel home. “I wouldn’t be sitting here today if it were not for them.”

On March 26, 1970, Woodward, who is now 59, was one of about 100 soldiers surrounded by about 400 members of the North Vietnamese army near the Vietnam-Cambodia border. He said the fighting was intense and they were running out of ammunition. Chances of survival seemed slim.

“But then came our miracle,” said Woodward, glancing at Kenney. “They came in and got us out of there.”

As Kenney recalls, that day in March was pretty much like any other day. Troop Alpha was in the jungles of Vietnam and Captain Poindexter was listening to the radio when he heard that Charlie Company was surrounded and outnumbered 4-to-1.

“There must have been in the neighborhood of 400 or so North Vietnamese soldiers surrounding them,” explained Kenney. “When we decided to go after them, we didn’t know what to expect. Because of the heavy foliage, we couldn’t see much of what was around us. It was just like walking into a hornet’s nest.”

Woodward added that Charlie Company was on routine patrol when the point personnel walked blindly into a North Vietnamese bunker complex that was filled with soldiers.

“We were receiving heavy automatic weapon fire that went on for three hours,” he said. “We started running low on ammunition at approximately 2 p.m. I started praying, hoping for a miracle.”

Woodward, who was carrying the radio, heard an armored troop was on the way. Still, he didn’t know if they would be able to rescue them or even if they would be alive when the troops made their arrival.

“The fighting was still heavy and darkness was approaching,” said Woodward. “I knew that if something didn’t happen before dark, the North Vietnamese would move in the night and kill or capture us all.”

Woodward’s prayers were answered at approximately 5 p.m., about two and a half hours before darkness set in. He heard the tanks from Kenney’s company roaring in the distance.

The North Vietnamese apparently did, too. For the first time in what seemed liked eternity, gunfire ceased.

Kenney said when they finally reached Charlie Company, no one was moving. He didn’t know if they were all casualties or not.

They can both laugh about it now, as Woodward says, “We knew that if we moved, we would be dead.”

Kenney continued his recollection of the notorious battle. “Our initial plan was just to go in there and bring them out, but our plans changed,” he said. “We knew we would have to engage the North Vietnamese sooner or later, so we decided to fire at them at that point.”

The battle began once again. Kenney fights back tears and is consoled by Woodward, his friend for life.

“I was 20 years old when I went to Vietnam,” said Kenney. “You grow up pretty fast. I was just a little country boy (from the Shady Grove Community) who went off to a far away land to do battle. The closet thing I could find to home was the moon. It looked the same in both places.”

Kenney said it was the prayers of his family, community and pastor and members of First Baptist Church of Laurel that helped him through those difficult times. “I couldn’t have made it without them and God,” he said. “We were all in his hands and still are.”