On November 18, 1952, during the Korean War, Lieutenant Elmer Royce Williams launched from the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany as part of Fighter Squadron 781, flying an F9F Panther on combat air patrol over the northeastern coast of North Korea. What followed would become one of the longest and most…
On May 14–15, 1945, during the brutal Battle of Okinawa, Major Henry A. Courtney Jr. of the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marines, 6th Marine Division, faced entrenched Japanese forces near Sugar Loaf Hill. After hours of fierce fighting, his depleted battalion was ordered to hold position overnight. But Major Courtney knew…
On December 7, 1941, as Japanese forces launched their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Ensign Herbert Jones was serving aboard the battleship USS California. When enemy bombs struck the ship, the mechanical hoists that supplied ammunition to the anti-aircraft guns were knocked out. With the vessel burning and under relentless…
On October 29, 1963, during the Vietnam War, Captain Humbert “Rocky” Versace, a U.S. Army Special Forces adviser with the Military Assistance Advisory Group and 5th Special Forces Group, faced overwhelming enemy fire while accompanying a Civilian Irregular Defense Group patrol. When a heavily armed Viet Cong battalion launched a…
On July 31, 1943, during the brutal fighting on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands, Private Rodger Young of the 148th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Division, faced overwhelming enemy fire in dense jungle terrain. When his platoon was pinned down by a concealed Japanese machine gun just 75 yards away,…
On April 11, 1970, near Da Nang, Vietnam, Marine LCPL Emilio De La Garza Jr. faced a split-second decision that would define his legacy forever. While apprehending an enemy soldier, a grenade pin was pulled. Without a moment's hesitation, De La Garza threw himself between the blast and his fellow…
On Nov. 8, 1967, Air Force Sgt. Larry Maysey, a pararescueman with the 37th ARRS, took part in a daring nighttime rescue in Laos to save a trapped Special Forces team. Despite heavy enemy fire that had already downed two other helicopters, Maysey’s crew aboard "Jolly 26" pushed into the…
On Nov. 8, 1967, Air Force Sgt. Larry Maysey, a pararescueman with the 37th ARRS, took part in a daring nighttime rescue in Laos to save a trapped Special Forces team. Despite heavy enemy fire that had already downed two other helicopters, Maysey’s crew aboard "Jolly 26" pushed into the…
On September 26, 1944, Second Lieutenant Mary Louise Hawkins, a flight nurse with the 801st Medical Air Evacuation Squadron, was aboard a C-47 Skytrain transporting wounded Marines from Palau to Guadalcanal when disaster struck. The aircraft ran out of fuel and crash-landed on Bellona Island in the Solomon Islands. In…
On September 26, 1944, Second Lieutenant Mary Louise Hawkins, a flight nurse with the 801st Medical Air Evacuation Squadron, was aboard a C-47 Skytrain transporting wounded Marines from Palau to Guadalcanal when disaster struck. The aircraft ran out of fuel and crash-landed on Bellona Island in the Solomon Islands. In…
On November 29, 1950, during the brutal fighting at the Chosin Reservoir, Lieutenant Colonel John Page was sent from X Corps Headquarters to help manage traffic along the main supply route. He had every reason to return to safety. He chose not to. Instead, he remained with surrounded Marines and…
On November 29, 1950, during the brutal fighting at the Chosin Reservoir, Lieutenant Colonel John Page was sent from X Corps Headquarters to help manage traffic along the main supply route. He had every reason to return to safety. He chose not to. Instead, he remained with surrounded Marines and…
On June 9–10, 1944, near Goville, France, Walter David Ehlers proved what frontline leadership truly looks like. Serving as a Staff Sergeant with the 3rd Battalion, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, Ehlers repeatedly placed himself at the point of attack during the Allied push through Normandy. When advances stalled under…
On June 9–10, 1944, near Goville, France, Walter David Ehlers proved what frontline leadership truly looks like. Serving as a Staff Sergeant with the 3rd Battalion, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, Ehlers repeatedly placed himself at the point of attack during the Allied push through Normandy. When advances stalled under…
On August 11, 1967, in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, Lance Corporal Roy Wheat of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division made a split-second decision that saved the lives of his fellow Marines. Assigned to provide security for a Navy construction crew along Liberty Road, LCpl Roy Wheat and…
On August 11, 1967, in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, Lance Corporal Roy Wheat of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division made a split-second decision that saved the lives of his fellow Marines. Assigned to provide security for a Navy construction crew along Liberty Road, LCpl Roy Wheat and…
On December 26, 1944, during the bitter fighting in Italy, U.S. Army First Lieutenant John Fox was serving as a forward observer attached to the 598th Field Artillery Battalion, 366th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division. What began as a quiet Christmas night quickly turned into a nightmare when German forces…
On December 26, 1944, during the bitter fighting in Italy, U.S. Army First Lieutenant John Fox was serving as a forward observer attached to the 598th Field Artillery Battalion, 366th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division. What began as a quiet Christmas night quickly turned into a nightmare when German forces…
On December 10, 2013, deep in the heart of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, Master Sergeant (at the time) Ivan Ruiz, an Air Force Pararescueman, was embedded with an Army Special Forces team and Afghan Commandos during a daring raid in hostile territory. After a close-quarters gunfight, Ruiz and two teammates became…
On December 10, 2013, deep in the heart of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, Master Sergeant (at the time) Ivan Ruiz, an Air Force Pararescueman, was embedded with an Army Special Forces team and Afghan Commandos during a daring raid in hostile territory. After a close-quarters gunfight, Ruiz and two teammates became…
On August 6, 1950, during the early weeks of the Korean War, Second Lieutenant Chester Lenon of the 77th Engineer Combat Company, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division displayed extraordinary heroism while covering the withdrawal of a sister unit under intense enemy fire. Pinned down by a deadly combination of…
On August 6, 1950, during the early weeks of the Korean War, Second Lieutenant Chester Lenon of the 77th Engineer Combat Company, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division displayed extraordinary heroism while covering the withdrawal of a sister unit under intense enemy fire. Pinned down by a deadly combination of…
On October 23, 1944, Commander Richard O’Kane, commanding officer of the USS Tang, led one of the most daring submarine attacks of World War II. Taking his submarine into the heart of two heavily escorted Japanese convoys near the Taiwan Strait, CDR O’Kane launched a bold surface assault under intense…
On October 23, 1944, Commander Richard O’Kane, commanding officer of the USS Tang, led one of the most daring submarine attacks of World War II. Taking his submarine into the heart of two heavily escorted Japanese convoys near the Taiwan Strait, CDR O’Kane launched a bold surface assault under intense…