As the highest-ranking U.S. Navy officer held captive in North Vietnam, Rear Adm. James Stockdale, a Captain at the time, became the unwavering leader of POW resistance. Tortured repeatedly and targeted for propaganda, he refused to break. When he feared he would be exploited by his captors, he deliberately inflicted…
On February 26, 1945, during the brutal fight for Iwo Jima, PFC Douglas Jacobson picked up a fallen Marine’s bazooka and became a one-man wrecking crew. As his unit fought to reach Hill 382, Jacobson singlehandedly destroyed 16 enemy positions, including machine-gun nests, pillboxes, blockhouses, and even a Japanese tank.…
In the jungles of New Guinea, SSG Gerald Endl’s platoon was ambushed by a fierce enemy force backed by multiple machine guns. With his leader wounded and his men pinned down, SSG Endl took command and held the line. When seven wounded soldiers were cut off, he charged into heavy…
On March 18, 1943 over Germany, 1st Lt. Jack Mathis was leading his bomber squadron when enemy flak tore through his body, shattering his arm and ripping open his side. Thrown from his bombsight and bleeding out, Mathis dragged himself back to complete the bomb run. With his last strength,…
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 June 4, 1944, off the coast of French West Africa, LTJG Albert David led a daring boarding party onto a damaged and still-moving German U-boat U-505. Fully aware it might explode or sink at any moment, David plunged through the hatch under threat of gunfire and sabotage charges. He…
Before dawn on July 6, 1964, a reinforced Viet Cong battalion launched a surprise assault on Camp Nam Dong. Capt. (at the time) Roger Donlon, leading a small Special Forces team, faced a five-hour siege of mortars, grenades, and relentless gunfire. Wounded multiple times, he refused to quit, rushing through…
On his 59th combat mission during World War II, 1LT Bob Hoover’s Spitfire was shot down over Southern France. Captured by the Germans, he spent over a year in the brutal Stalag Luft I POW camp until the night chaos erupted. While prisoners rioted, Hoover and two others scaled the…
During a brutal assault in Korea, Navy Corpsman John Kilmer ran through relentless enemy fire to aid wounded Marines on a vital hilltop. Mortar rounds and bullets rained down, but Kilmer kept moving, treating injuries and dragging men to safety. Wounded himself, he crawled to another Marine and shielded him…
At Guadalcanal in 1942, then-Colonel Merritt “Red Mike” Edson and his outnumbered Marines held a vital ridge against wave after wave of Japanese attacks. Through the night, under relentless fire, Edson moved from position to position, calmly directing his men, rallying their spirits, and leading from the front. His fearless…
In Vietnam, Staff Sergeant Webster Anderson's artillery unit was hit by a ferocious enemy attack. As mortars and grenades exploded around them, Anderson stood exposed, rallying his men and returning fire. Even after a grenade severed both legs and mangled an arm, he refused evacuation, continuing to fight and shout…
During the Allied invasion of North Africa in WWII, COL Demas Craw and MAJ Pierpont Hamilton volunteered for an almost suicidal mission to reach French commanders near Port Lyautey to negotiate a ceasefire. Their landing craft was hammered by shore batteries and strafed by enemy planes before they landed under…
On November 25-26, 2001, Chief Petty Officer Stephen Bass was part of a rescue mission to recover two missing Americans inside the Taliban-controlled Qala-i-Jangi fortress. Under relentless gunfire, mortar blasts, and RPG attacks, CPO Bass walked through an active minefield to reach the fortress. After two failed rescue attempts under…
On October 5, 2009, deep in Taliban territory, SSgt Robert Gutierrez Jr. was shot in the chest during a high-risk night raid. Pinned down with his team and badly wounded, he refused medical evacuation. Instead, he coordinated three danger-close A-10 strafing runs while fighting through a collapsed lung. His precise…
Holding a vital outpost in Korea, 1st Lt. James L. Stone and his platoon faced waves of overwhelming Chinese attacks. Calmly exposed to brutal enemy fire, he moved under fire to repair a flamethrower, carried the last working machine gun across the position while wounded, and kept fighting with his…
On September 16, 1944, Navy LT Arthur Preston led a high-risk mission to rescue a downed pilot just 200 yards from a heavily defended Japanese base in Wasile Bay. After two failed attempts by others, Preston braved 60 miles of mined waters, dodged coastal guns, and faced relentless enemy fire.…
On May 23, 1944, in Italy, TSG Van Barfoot charged and single-handedly destroyed multiple German machine-gun nests. He captured 17 enemy soldiers, took out a tank with a bazooka, and helped evacuate wounded comrades, all in one day. His fearless actions earned him the Medal of Honor. Medal of Honor…
Surrounded by enemy forces during a brutal battle in Korea, 2ndLt Sherrod Skinner Jr. led his Marines in a desperate defense. Wounded and nearly out of ammo, he gathered his men in a bunker. When a grenade landed among them, Skinner threw himself on it, giving his life to save…
On February 20, 1944, after a brutal air battle over Nazi-occupied Europe, 2nd Lt. Walter Truemper and Staff Sgt. Archibald Mathies flew their heavily damaged B-17 back to base. The co-pilot was dead. The pilot was unconscious. Told to bail out, they refused, choosing to stay and try to land…
Air Force Cross Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat “V” to First Lieutenant Karl Wendell Richter (AFSN: 0-78872), United States Air Force, for heroism while participating in aerial flight…
In the heat of battle during the Korean War, Private First Class Henry Svehla charged through withering enemy fire to lead his squad forward. Even after being wounded, he continued fighting. When a grenade threatened his fellow soldiers, Svehla threw himself on it, giving his life to save theirs. He…
Under relentless enemy fire in Vietnam, HM3 Robert Ingram sprinted across the battlefield to treat wounded Marines. Shot once… then again… and again he kept going. Despite being hit four times, Ingram refused aid and continued saving lives for hours. His bravery in the face of death earned him the…
During a fierce firefight in Vietnam, LCpl Jedh Barker was wounded, but he refused to stop fighting. When an enemy grenade landed near his fellow Marines, Barker threw himself on it, sacrificing his life to save theirs. For his incredible courage and selflessness, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of…
On August 26, 1944, near Villeneuve-Loubet, France, Canadian Staff Sergeant Ross Orr made a bold move that saved lives. When enemy machine guns blocked a vital Allied supply route, Orr charged in alone under fire to take them out. Without orders, he silenced the first nest and forced the surrender…