On November 14, 1965, during the fierce Battle of Ia Drang, the first major clash between U.S. forces and North Vietnamese troops, Major Bruce Crandall, flight commander with Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, became a lifeline for the surrounded infantry at Landing Zone X-Ray. Commanding a group of sixteen…
On March 11, 1970, in the jungles of Vietnam, Staff Sergeant (at the time) Allan Kellogg of Company G, U.S. Marine Corps, displayed unimaginable bravery during a fierce firefight. While leading a small unit evacuating a fallen Marine, SSgt Kellogg and his men were ambushed by a larger, well-hidden enemy…
On January 6, 1968, Major Patrick Brady, commander of a UH-1H “Dustoff” medevac helicopter in Vietnam, volunteered for one of the most dangerous missions of the war. With wounded soldiers trapped in enemy-held terrain blanketed by dense fog and smoke, Brady descended through zero visibility—using his rotor wash to clear…
On July 12, 1965, deep in Viet Cong–controlled territory, Marine Corporal Bryant “BC” Collins was a scout team leader with Company A, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, when they were ambushed by enemy forces firing from concealed positions. As point man, Cpl Collins reacted instantly—killing three enemy fighters before falling back to…
On April 6, 2008, deep in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, Staff Sergeant Ronald J. Shurer II displayed unimaginable courage under fire. As a Senior Medical Sergeant with Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3336, Shurer’s unit was ambushed by heavily armed enemy forces while scaling a near-vertical mountainside. What followed…
LtCol Harold Bauer was the fearless commander of Marine Fighting Squadron 212, the “Hell Hounds”, during some of the most intense fighting of World War II in the South Pacific. From May to November 1942, LtCol Bauer demonstrated unmatched bravery, taking to the skies over Guadalcanal to defend his fellow…
Robert White was one of America’s most accomplished but least-known pilots, a WWII P-51 Mustang pilot turned POW, a record-breaking X-15 test pilot who became the first to fly a winged aircraft at Mach 6 and earn astronaut wings, and a fearless combat leader in Vietnam. On August 11, 1967,…
During the Boxer Rebellion in June 1900, Seaman William Seach repeatedly displayed extraordinary bravery over four consecutive battles. He helped repel an attack by 300 enemy fighters with a bold bayonet charge. In the days that followed, Seach crossed open ground under fire to eliminate enemy snipers, defended key artillery…
On November 9, 2007, while serving in Afghanistan’s rugged Nuristan Province, Specialist Kyle White and his unit were ambushed. Exposed on a narrow trail with enemy fire raining down from the surrounding cliffs, White was knocked unconscious by a rocket blast. Despite being wounded, he regained consciousness and rushed to…
During Operation Beacon Hill I in Vietnam, Private First Class Douglas Dickey displayed extraordinary courage in the face of danger. While replacing a wounded radio operator in the middle of a fierce firefight, an enemy grenade suddenly landed among a group of Marines, one of whom was too injured to…
On April 22, 1966, Captain Charles Boyd volunteered for a dangerous mission over North Vietnam, his 105th combat flight. Flying an F-105 Thunderchief into one of the most heavily defended areas in the world, he evaded two missiles on his first pass and made a second attack run before being…
While advancing with his company during a battle on Leyte in the Philippines, PFC George Benjamin Jr. saw a rifle platoon falter under heavy Japanese fire. Carrying only a pistol and a bulky radio, he charged across open terrain to rally them forward. Charging into a storm of bullets, he…
During the fierce naval battle off Savo Island in November 1942, Lt. Commander Bruce McCandless found himself suddenly in command of the USS San Francisco after enemy fire killed or wounded nearly all senior officers aboard, including the admiral and ship’s captain. Wounded himself, McCandless regained consciousness, took control, and…
During the brutal Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I, Captain Alexander Skinker of the 138th Infantry made the ultimate sacrifice. When his men were pinned down by heavy German machine-gun fire, he refused to order a frontal assault. Instead, he personally led a small team toward an enemy pillbox. After…
From April 30 to May 2, 1968, Captain Jay Vargas led Company G through one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War. Wounded early in the fighting, he continued leading his Marines in an assault across 700 meters of open terrain under intense enemy fire. Despite being wounded again…
On July 2, 1968, after three helicopters were driven off by intense enemy fire, Coast Guard Lt. Lance Eagan flew his HH-3E Jolly Green Giant straight into a heavily defended jungle to rescue downed Air Force pilot Lt Col Jack Modica. Despite taking over 40 rounds of enemy fire, Eagan…
On April 5, 1970, Sergeant Brian Buker of Detachment B-55, 5th Special Forces Group, led a Vietnamese mobile strike force in an assault on an enemy mountain fortress in Vietnam. After breaking through a strategic mountain pass, his unit was pinned down by intense fire from two fortified bunkers. Refusing…
On April 15, 1945, during the battle for Okinawa, PFC Harold Gonsalves served as a scout sergeant with the 15th Marines. As his unit advanced on the fiercely defended Mount Yaetake, Gonsalves braved relentless enemy fire to help direct artillery strikes. When a Japanese grenade suddenly landed near his team,…
During a fierce night assault on Hill 284 in Korea, Corporal Jerry Crump's platoon was overrun by a much larger enemy force. Despite the chaos, Crump repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire, inflicting heavy casualties. When two enemy soldiers tried to seize a friendly machine gun, he charged and killed…
Amidst the brutal fighting on Iwo Jima, Navy Pharmacist Second Class George Wahlen risked everything to save his fellow Marines. Already wounded days earlier, he refused evacuation and continued treating the injured under relentless enemy fire. Even after being wounded a second and third time, Wahlen crawled through deadly terrain…
In Vietnam on September 6, 1967, Sgt. Rodney Davis displayed extraordinary heroism. As his unit came under intense fire from a larger North Vietnamese force, Davis moved fearlessly through a trench line, encouraging his men and returning fire. When a grenade landed among them, he threw himself on it without…
On May 15, 1918, deep in the trenches of the Western Front, Private Henry Johnson of the famed Harlem Hellfighters faced a brutal surprise attack from a 12-man German raiding party. Severely wounded and outnumbered, Johnson fought back with unmatched bravery. With his rifle jammed and bullets flying, Johnson used…
On November 2, 1944, during a bombing mission over Germany, 2nd Lt. Robert Femoyer’s B-17 bomber was struck by three enemy anti-aircraft shells. As the navigator, he was gravely wounded by shrapnel to the back and side, but refused morphine so he could stay alert and guide his crew to…
In 1972, Air Force Captain Charles DeBellevue made history from the back seat of an F-4 Phantom. As a Weapons Systems Officer with the legendary 555th “Triple Nickel” Squadron, DeBellevue helped guide his pilots into combat against North Vietnam’s deadly MiGs and emerged as the war’s leading U.S. ace. He…