On April 25, 1968, during the Vietnam War, 1LT James Sprayberry of Company D, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, led a daring nighttime rescue mission that defied impossible odds. After his company commander and many others were pinned down by intense enemy fire and surrounded by bunkers, a…
Between September 11 and 14, 1970, Sergeant Gary Rose, a Special Forces combat medic with the 5th Special Forces Group, fought through unrelenting fire to save the lives of his wounded brothers-in-arms during Operation Tailwind. Deep in enemy-controlled territory in Laos, a company-sized unit came under heavy attack from a…
On July 11, 1969, during a fierce battle in Vietnam, Specialist 4 Gordon Roberts of Company B, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, faced a mission that was on the verge of collapse. His platoon was halted by intense automatic-weapons and grenade fire from fortified bunkers perched on higher…
On June 19, 1966, First Lieutenant Ronald Ray, a platoon leader with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, led a heroic rescue mission during intense combat in Vietnam. After one of his patrols was ambushed by a reinforced Viet Cong company, Lt. Ray organized a reaction force…
On May 6, 1968, during intense combat in Vietnam, Specialist Four Robert Patterson of the 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division, demonstrated extraordinary courage during an assault on a heavily fortified North Vietnamese Army position. As his platoon’s lead squad was pinned down by automatic weapons and RPG fire,…
From May 13 to 15, 1969, James McCloughan, then a Private First Class and combat medic, distinguished himself in one of the most intense and harrowing battles of the Vietnam War. Serving with Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, McCloughan repeatedly risked—and nearly gave—his life…
On November 14, 1965, during the brutal Battle of Ia Drang—the first major engagement between U.S. troops and North Vietnamese forces—Second Lieutenant Walter Marm Jr. of the 1st Cavalry Division displayed extraordinary heroism under fire. His unit was advancing through a deadly valley in Vietnam to rescue a surrounded American…
On December 15, 1967, during combat operations in Vietnam, Specialist Four Allen J. Lynch was serving as a radio telephone operator with Company D, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division when his unit came under attack by a numerically superior enemy force. From the front lines, Lynch quickly relayed…
Gary Littrell, then a Sergeant First Class, earned the Medal of Honor for one of the most extraordinary displays of endurance and leadership during the Vietnam War. On April 4, 1970, while serving as a Light Weapons Infantry Adviser to the 23rd Battalion, 2nd Ranger Group of the ARVN, his…
On January 6, 1969, during a fierce battle in Vietnam, Private First Class Don Jenkins of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, displayed unmatched bravery under fire. Caught in a deadly enemy crossfire, Jenkins rushed to an exposed position and delivered suppressive machine-gun fire. When his weapon…
On January 6, 1969, during a fierce battle in Vietnam, Private First Class Don Jenkins of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, displayed unmatched bravery under fire. Caught in a deadly enemy crossfire, Jenkins rushed to an exposed position and delivered suppressive machine-gun fire. When his weapon…
On March 9, 1968, in Vietnam, First Lieutenant Jack Jacobs was serving as an assistant battalion adviser to the 9th Infantry Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam when his unit came under devastating enemy fire from a fortified Viet Cong force. Wounded by mortar fragments and nearly…
On August 8, 2012, during a combat patrol in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, Captain Florent Groberg—a French-born officer and Personal Security Detachment Commander—placed himself between a group of senior U.S. and Afghan leaders and a suspected suicide bomber. Without hesitation, Groberg identified the threat, physically engaged the attacker, and pushed him…
On October 25, 2007, in Afghanistan, Specialist Salvatore Giunta was serving as a team leader with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment. That day, he and his team were navigating difficult terrain when they were suddenly ambushed by a well-armed and coordinated insurgent force. Under intense enemy fire, Specialist…
On January 1, 1969, First Lieutenant Harold Fritz led a seven-vehicle armored cavalry platoon into one of the fiercest ambushes of the Vietnam War. While escorting a truck convoy along the dangerous stretch of Highway 13, his unit was suddenly surrounded by a reinforced enemy company. Hit in the opening…
On November 5, 1966, during a brutal Vietnam War firefight, Captain Robert Foley of the 25th Infantry Division led a daring rescue mission under intense enemy fire. His fearless actions saved lives, turned the tide of battle, and earned him the Medal of Honor. As enemy forces ambushed his unit…
On March 23, 1971, during a violent nighttime attack at Khe Sanh, Vietnam, Specialist Four Michael Fitzmaurice of the 101st Airborne Division’s 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, performed one of the most selfless acts of the war. As a North Vietnamese sapper unit infiltrated the perimeter, Fitzmaurice and three other soldiers…
On January 31, 1968, at the height of the Tet Offensive, CWO Frederick Ferguson demonstrated fearless resolve and extraordinary flying skill during one of the Vietnam War’s most dangerous helicopter rescues. While piloting a resupply mission near the embattled city of Hue, CWO Ferguson overheard a distress call: the wounded…
On March 31, 1971, 1st Lt. Brian Thacker displayed extraordinary heroism while serving with Battery A, 1st Battalion, 92d Artillery at Fire Base 6 in Vietnam. As dawn broke, a massive North Vietnamese assault struck the isolated hilltop base, breaching the perimeter with rockets, grenades, and flamethrowers. Lt. Thacker rallied…
From February 18–22, 1971, Specialist Five Dennis Fujii displayed extraordinary bravery and selflessness while serving as the crew chief of a medevac “Dustoff” helicopter during rescue operations in Laos and Vietnam. Assigned to the 237th Medical Detachment, Specialist Fujii was evacuating severely wounded South Vietnamese troops when his helicopter was…
From April 14–15, 1972, during the intense fighting at Fire Support Base Charlie in Vietnam, Major John Duffy displayed unmatched courage and leadership as the Senior Advisor to the 11th Airborne Battalion of the Republic of Vietnam. Already wounded twice in the days prior, he refused evacuation and took command…
On July 15, 1966, during Operation Hastings in the Vietnam War, Captain Robert Modrzejewski led Company K, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines deep into enemy-controlled jungle terrain. Their mission: block a vital trail network. Almost immediately, they came under fire from a reinforced North Vietnamese platoon entrenched in a fortified position.…
In the early hours of June 18, 1965, Captain Paris Davis, commander of Detachment A-321, 5th Special Forces Group, led a South Vietnamese unit on its first combat mission—a nighttime raid against a Viet Cong regional headquarters. The surprise assault was devastatingly effective, leaving around 100 enemy fighters dead. As…
On September 1, 1969, Jose Rodela, a Sergeant First Class at the time, found himself in the midst of a brutal 18-hour battle during combat operations in Vietnam. As the company commander of Detachment B-36, 5th Special Forces Group, his battalion came under heavy attack from enemy mortar, rocket, and…