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 enough space to land. He took fire the entire time, but still evacuated two severely wounded allies. That was just the beginning.

Later that day, he flew four separate missions into a landing zone just 50 meters from enemy positions—where two helicopters had already been shot down. He rescued every wounded American.

On his third mission, he flew into a hot LZ surrounded by enemy troops. His helicopter was torn apart by gunfire, yet he returned again in a replacement aircraft. Finally, he landed inside a known minefield, evacuated six more wounded soldiers—even after a mine blast damaged his helicopter and wounded two crewmen.

By day’s end, Maj. Brady had flown three different helicopters and saved 51 critically wounded men.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his unmatched heroism.

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Photos Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

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