Background: Richard A. Cable, “Dickie,” was born on April 3, 1947 in Kankakee, IL, and was raised in Shelby, IN. His adopted parents, Floyd and Grace Cable, were lifelong Shelby residents. Dickie attended Shelby Grade School before graduating and continuing on to Lowell High School, where he graduated in 1965.

Right after graduation, Mr. Cable was drafted and entered into the US Army.  He began his basic army training at Fort Leonard Wood, and was later assigned to Advanced Individual Training as an infantryman. Upon arrival in Vietnam, he was assigned to the 1st Division, and later assigned to Bravo Co., 2nd platoon of the 1st Battalion 16th Infantry Regiment where he served as a rifleman. The 16th Infantry Regiment in Vietnam is more commonly known as the Army Rangers.

Specialist Cable was awarded his Silver Star for his gallantry in action against a hostile force. On June 14, 1967, while participating in a search and destroy mission in Vietnam, the Army came across a series of bomb craters. Specialist Cable moved with his fire team to the right of the craters to clear the way for the remainder of the company. Suddenly, he saw several Viet Cong in the dense foliage to his front. He shouted a warning to his comrades and took the Viet Cong under fire. Ignoring the heavy return fire, he stood his ground and continued to engage the enemy until his comrades reached cover. As he moved to rejoin his fire team, he detected an insurgent machine-gun team setting up to the right of his position. Realizing his fellow soldiers would be subjected to a vicious crossfire unless immediate action was taken, Specialist Cable began a running assault of the insurgent emplacements. While firing from the hip as he rushed the Viet Cong, he was wounded several times. In a last effort, he succeeded in overrunning the position and killing the insurgents before he fell. His great courage as exemplified by his sacrifice for his fellow soldiers distinguished him as a combat soldier of the highest caliber. Additionally, Specialist Cable received a Purple Heart for his actions. 

Specialist Cable’s services were held at the Eskridge Funeral Home in Lowell, IN. The whole Shelby community came out to mourn his passing and pay their respects. Specialist Cable was the town’s only Vietnam veteran to be killed in action. To honor and commemorate Specialist Cable for his heroism, his childhood friends came together almost 50 years later to gather over 700 signatures from residents of Shelby and surrounding towns to petition to rename the local post office. According to his friends, Dickie always said that he wanted to put Shelby on the map.

On March 23, 2016, H.R. Bill 4887 to designate the Post Office building located at 23323 Shelby Road, Indiana, as the Richard Allen Cable Post Office, was introduced by Congressman Peter Visclosky. It was signed into law on December 16, 2016, by President Barack Obama.

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