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…
On May 2, 1968, during the savage fighting for the village of Dai Do in Vietnam, Captain James Livingston, commanding Company E, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, displayed unshakable courage and leadership under fire. With a Marine company cut off by enemy forces overnight, Captain Livingston led a daring assault across…
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…