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Thread: NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY – March 25

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    NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY – March 25

    Today is National Medal of Honor Day...

    NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY
    25 Mar.`16 - National Medal of Honor day is a day that is dedicated to all Medal of Honor recipients.
    It was on March 25, 1863 when the first Medals of Honor were presented. Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton presented Medals of Honor (Army) to six members of “Andrews Raiders” for their volunteering and participation during an American Civil War raid in April of 1862.


    Created in 1861, the Medal of Honor is the United States of America’s highest military honor. It is awarded only to US military personnel, by the President of the United States in the name of Congress, for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty.

    There are three versions of the Medal of Honor; one for the Army, one for the Navy and one for the Air Force, with personnel of the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard receiving the Navy version.

    Since its creation, there have been 3,468 Medals of Honor awarded to the country’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and coast guardsmen.

    HOW TO OBSERVE
    See also:

    National Medal of Honor Day - Video on NBCNews.com

    Related:

    Navy Illustrates SEAL's Heroic Actions in Afghanistan to Honor MoH Day
    Mar 25, 2016 | In honor of National Medal of Honor Day, the U.S. Navy created an informational graphic depicting the December 2012 hostage-rescue mission that earned Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward C. Byers Jr. the nation's highest award for valor.
    On Feb. 29, the Navy SEAL received the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions on Dec. 8-9 while serving as part of a team that rescued American aid worker, Dr. Dilip Joseph, a civilian being held hostage in Afghanistan. Congress has designated March 25 each year as National Medal of Honor Day to commemorate the day the first Medal of Honor was presented in 1863. The prestigious award has "bestowed on 3,496 men and one woman (a Civil War surgeon) since President Abraham Lincoln signed it into law on Dec. 21, 1861," according to a Defense Department webpage honoring the 18 Medal of Honor recipients from Iraq and Afghanistan.

    A high-resolution version of the info graphic can be found on the Navy's website at
    http://www.navy.mil/view_image.asp?id=212166. Byers, 36, became the first living sailor since the Vietnam War to receive the honor. Two other SEALs, Lt. Michael Murphy and Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, received the Medal of Honor posthumously for heroism in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively. In all, six SEALs including Byers have received the medal; two of them, Retired Lt. Thomas Rolland Norris and Retired Lt. Michael Edwin Thornton, were present for the ceremony. In 1980, Thornton became the founding member of SEAL Team Six, the elite group of special operators to which Byers also belonged.


    The rescue mission started on a cold December night. Byers and his team conducted a four-hour trek over mountainous terrain and primitive roads to where intelligence indicated Joseph was being held, in a compound in the Qarghah'i district of Laghman province. Another member of the SEAL team, Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas Checque, was the first into the compound, charging bravely to the entrance after a gate sentry was alerted to the presence of the team. He fell wounded from an AK-47 round to the head.

    According to his summary of action, Byers was the second into the compound, sprinting in on Checque's heels. In the darkness, Byers first pulled down six layers of blankets that served as a primitive door, then began taking out enemy guards one by one. He took down one man; then jumped on another, grappling with him physically on the ground until he could adjust his night-vision goggles and identify him as the enemy. After that threat was dispatched, Byers and his teammates began calling out for Joseph to determine his location.

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    Last edited by waltky; 03-25-2016 at 08:42 PM.

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    The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
    PRIVATE FIRST CLASS WILLIAM R. CADDY
    UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE
    for service as set forth in the following CITATION:
    For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Rifleman with Company I, Third Battalion, Twenty-sixth Marines, Fifth Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the seizure of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, 3 March 1945. Consistently aggressive, Private First Class Caddy boldly defied shattering Japanese machine-gun and small-arms fire to move forward with his platoon leader and another Marine during a determined advance of his company through an isolated sector and, gaining the comparative safety of a shell hole, took temporary cover with his comrades. Immediately pinned down by deadly sniper fire from a well-concealed position, he made several unsuccessful attempts to again move forward and then, joined by his platoon leader, engaged the enemy in a fierce exchange of hand grenades until a Japanese grenade fell in the shell hole. Fearlessly disregarding all personal danger, Private First Class Caddy instantly threw himself upon the deadly missile, absorbing the exploding charge in his own body and protecting the others from serious injury. Stouthearted and indomitable, he unhesitatingly yielded his own life that his fellow Marines might carry on the relentless battle against a fanatic enemy. His dauntless courage and valiant spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of certain death reflects the highest credit upon Private First Class Caddy and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.[4] /S/ HARRY S TRUMAN

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    Many feel Vietnam War Green Beret Medic Deserves Medal of Honor...

    Green Beret Medic Could Be Next Vietnam War MOH Recipient
    Jul 14, 2016 | WASHINGTON -- The story of Green Beret Gary Michael Rose's heroism is an epic of classified warfare and a stinging media scandal, but it might soon end with a Medal of Honor.
    In 1970, Rose was the lone medic for a company of Special Forces soldiers and indigenous Vietnamese fighters during a risky, four-day assault deep into Laos. The badly injured Rose helped bring all the soldiers back alive and received the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest military honor, during a ceremony at the time in Vietnam. "He is not a gung-ho person, he is very thoughtful, but he was a hell of a medic and I trusted him with my life," said Keith Plancich, 66, who was a Special Forces squad leader on the mission. But Rose and the other men were wrongly accused of taking part in war crimes in 1998 after the mission, called Operation Tailwind, was declassified and unearthed for the first time by CNN and its partner Time magazine.


    Gary Michael Rose receives the Distinguished Service Cross from Gen. Creighton Abrams, the U.S. commander in Vietnam, for heroism during Operation Tailwind.

    Stunning claims that Rose and the Green Berets were sent to Laos to kill American defectors and that the military used sarin gas during the mission were fully discredited. CNN and Time retracted the story, which was co-written and presented by famed journalist Peter Arnett, but it cast a shadow over the mission that still remains. The highest recognition of heroism is close for Rose and the Green Berets. The soft-spoken former medic might be the next Vietnam veteran to receive the Medal of Honor, after President Barack Obama presents the medal to retired Army pilot Lt. Col. Charles Kettles on Monday.

    'Create such havoc'

    In September 1970, Rose and 15 Green Berets along with more than 100 Vietnamese tribal fighters called Montagnards were dropped into the Laotian jungle by CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters. The elite soldiers were with the Army's opaquely named Studies and Observations Group based in southern Vietnam. Far from studying intelligence, the Special Forces unit was leading groups of the indigenous fighters on classified raider missions into Laos, where the United States was waging a covert war against North Vietnam along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. "They were going to create such havoc," said retired Maj. John Plaster, a former Special Forces sniper and military historian who also served with Rose in the SOG. Rose declined interview requests for this story.

    The Green Berets and their company of indigenous fighters were tapped to take pressure off the CIA, which was running operations in the Laotian highlands, by drawing the attention of at least two North Vietnamese Army regiments in the area, Plaster said.

    'Gary kept them moving'

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    Chopper pilot finally gets his just honor...

    Vietnam Vet Awarded Medal of Honor for Heroic Helicopter Rescue
    Jul 18, 2016 | President Barack Obama awarded America's highest military honor for valor today to a U.S. Army veteran for risking his life to save the lives of 44 fellow American soldiers a half century ago on a Vietnamese battlefield.
    During a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, Obama told the story of retired Lt. Col. Charles Kettles, who was serving as a flight commander assigned to 176th Aviation Company (Airmobile) (Light), 14th Combat Aviation Battalion, Americal Division, when a battalion-sized enemy force ambushed an outnumbered element of 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, near Duc Pho. Kettles, then a major, led a platoon of UH-1D Huey helicopters again and again into intense enemy fire to help his fellow soldiers. Now 86, Kettles sat looking "sharp as a tack," Obama said, describing his dress blue uniform. Many of his fellow veterans have said that there is no one who deserves the Medal of Honor more than Kettles, Obama said. "Many believe that, except for Chuck," Obama said. "As he says, 'This seems like a hell of a fuss over something happened 50 years ago.' Even now, Chuck is still defined by the humility that shaped him as a soldier." But there are at least 44 former American soldiers who would disagree with Kettles' modest description of his actions on that battlefield. Obama gave the following account of the Kettles' bravery:

    "May 15, 1967, started as a hot Monday morning. Soldiers from the 101st Airborne were battling hundreds of North Vietnamese in a rural riverbed. Our men were outnumbered. They needed support fast -- helicopters to get the wounded out and get more soldiers into the fight. "Chuck Kettles was a helo pilot and, just as he had volunteered for active duty, on this morning he volunteered his Hueys even though he knew the danger. "They call this place 'chump valley' for a reason. Above the riverbed rose a 1,500-foot tall hill. And the enemy was dug into an extensive series of tunnels and bunkers -- the ideal spot for an ambush. "Around 9 a.m., his company of Hueys approached that landing zone and looked down. They should have seen a stand of green trees. Instead, they saw a solid wall of green enemy tracers coming right at them. None of them had ever seen fire that intense. "Soldiers in the helos were hit and killed before they could leap off. But under withering fire, Chuck landed his chopper and kept it there exposed so the wounded could get on and so that he could fly them back to base.


    President Obama presents the Medal of Honor to retired Army Lt. Col. Charles Kettles during a ceremony at the White House in Washington

    "A second time, Chuck went back into the valley. He dropped off more soldiers and supplies; picked up more wounded. Once more, machine gun bullets and mortar rounds came screaming after them. As he took off a second time, rounds pierced the arm and leg of Chuck's door gunner, Roland Scheck. "Chuck's Huey was hit. Fuel was pouring out as he flew away. He landed, found another helicopter and flew Roland to the field hospital. "By now, it was near evening. Back at the riverbed, 44 American soldiers were still pinned down. The air was thick with gunpowder and smelled of burning metal. "And then they heard a faint sound. And as the sun started to set, they saw something rise over the horizon -- six American helicopters, as one of them said, 'as beautiful as could be.' "For a third time, Chuck and his unit headed into that Hell on Earth.

    "Once again, the enemy unloaded everything they had on Chuck as he landed -- small arms, automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenades. Soldiers ran to the helicopters. When Chuck was told all were accounted for, he took off. "And then mid-air, his radio told him something else. Eight men had not made it aboard. They had been providing cover for the others. Those eight soldiers ran for the choppers but could only watch as they floated away. " 'We all figured we were done for,' they said. Chuck came to the same conclusion. 'If we left them for 10 minutes,' he said, 'they'd be POWs or dead.' "A soldier who was there said, 'That day, Maj. Kettles became our John Wayne.' "With all due respect to John Wayne," Obama said. "He couldn't do what Chuck Kettles did. "He broke off from formation, took a steep, sharp, descending turn back toward the valley -- this time with no aerial or artillery support.

    "Chuck's Huey was the only target for the enemy to attack, and they did. Tracers lit up the sky once more. Chuck came in so hot his chopper bounced for several hundred feet before coming to a stop. "As soon as he landed, a mortar round shattered his windshield; another hit the main rotor blade. Shrapnel tore through the $#@!pit and Chuck's chair. "Those eight soldiers sprinted toward the Huey, running through the firestorm, chased by bullets. "Chuck's helo, now badly damaged, was carrying 13 souls and was 600 pounds overweight. 'It felt,' he said, 'like flying a two and a half ton truck.' "He couldn't hover long enough to take off. … The cabin filled with black smoke as Chuck skipped and hopped the helo across the ground to pick up enough speed to take off. "The instant he got airborne, another mortar ripped into the tail. The Huey fishtailed violently and a soldier was thrown out of the helicopter and was hanging onto a skid as Chuck flew them to safety."

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    Famous photo is of second flag raising...

    Corpsman Was Part of 1st Iwo Jima Flag-Raising, Marine Corps Finds
    Aug 24, 2016 | At 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 23, 1945, six men raised an American flag atop Mount Suribachi, Japan, in a triumphant move that drew a cheer from Marines on the mountain and fanfare from U.S. ships in the waters below. But no photographs exist of this first celebrated flag-raising.
    Some time later in the afternoon, another six Marines raised a second flag on the mountain -- and that act, captured by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal, would become the most celebrated image of the war. Just months after the Marine Corps announced in June that it had misidentified the men in the Rosenthal photograph and was correcting its official records in light of new information, the service on Wednesday announced that it was wrong about the troops who participated in the first flag-raising and is altering its records again following a new review of evidence. For some, this may be a historical fine point; for others, it's a long-overdue move with great significance for the families of the men who were there. Most notably, the Marine Corps findings, reviewed by Military.com, prove that Navy corpsman John Bradley, a pharmacist's mate second class, participated in the first flag-raising.


    The Marine Corps is updating its historical records to identify who participated in the first flag-raising atop Mount Suribachi during World War II.

    In June, officials concluded that Bradley, long believed to be pictured in the Rosenthal photo, was not in fact in the shot. Bradley, who died in 1994 at age 70, had been perhaps one of the best-known flag raisers. He posed for the sculpture that would become the Marine Corps memorial in Washington, D.C., and his story was told in the bestseller Flags of our Fathers, written by his son James Bradley. In a four-day review, a nine-member panel of Marine Corps leaders and historians determined that those who participated in the first flag-raising were Bradley, 1st Lt. Harold Schrier, Platoon Sgt. Ernest Thomas Jr., Sgt. Henry Hanson, Cpl. Charles Lindberg, and Pvt. Philip Ward. Marine Corps records had previously not listed Ward and Bradley as participants, and had incorrectly identified two other Marines, Pfcs. Louis Charlo and James Michels, as flag-raisers.


    The panel also reviewed photographic evidence and military records to identify 24 of the men in the patrol that summited Mount Suribachi ahead of the flag-raising, as well as the troops who provided support and security for the event. "We had suspicions … that the official record was in error and needed to be updated," Charles Neimeyer, director of the Marine Corps' History Division, told Military.com. "After the second flag raising [review] that we did, the commandant made a suggestion that, wouldn't it be a good idea to look at the first one." While the task was complicated by the lack of photographic evidence of the flag-raising itself -- the combat cameraman, Staff Sgt. Lou Lowery, had run out of film when it went up -- images immediately before and after the event allowed the researchers to determine where the men were during the event.


    In Bradley's case, there could be little doubt: The photographs showed him smiling, with his hand on the flagpole. "When he was remembering, he wasn't being disingenuous; he was remembering his role in that first flag-raising," Neimeyer said. "This confirms that, yes, he was a participant, and reaffirms that tight Navy-Marine Corps bond." Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller personally called the families of those affected by the findings, Neimeyer said. And, he added, the news was largely well received. In the case of Michels, the findings showed he hadn't been a flag-raiser as he was providing security for the other Marines with his M1 carbine. Neimeyer had a conversation with Michels' daughter, he said, who agreed his role fit with what she knew about her father. "She said he always looked out for the guys raising the flag," Neimeyer said. "And that's what he's doing in the photos."


    Charlo, while not a member of the flag-raising team, had been a member of the reconnaissance team ahead of the event and later provided security for the second flag-raising, the panel found. In a statement, Neller said the findings did not change the heroism or legend of those who were on the mountain. "In my mind, all of the Marines involved in getting the flags flying above Mt. Suribachi could rightfully consider themselves 'flag raisers,' " he said. "Although Marines like Cpl. Raymond Jacobs, Pfc. Louis Charlo and Pfc. James Michels may not have been directly involved in the physical act of the first flag raising, their presence on Mt. Suribachi is irrefutable and their contributions were instrumental in raising the flags that inspired thousands of Marines to keep fighting."

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    Vietnam MoH winner passes on...

    Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipient Richard Pittman Dies at Age 71
    Oct 18, 2016 | Richard Pittman, a Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War, has died at age 71.
    Partial blindness disqualified him from regular service, but he was able to join the Marine Corps Reserves. After volunteering for a tour of Vietnam in 1966, he passed up an engineering position, choosing to be an infantryman, according to an oral history interview. Pittman died Thursday, Oct. 13 in Stockton, Calif., a few days before a post office at Camp Pendleton was named in honor of those who earned the country's highest military award. He once said he was motivated to serve after hearing President John F. Kennedy say, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."


    Richard A. Pittman, USMC (retired) was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions as a United States Marine on 24 July 1966 during the Vietnam War.

    Pittman was a lance corporal on July 24, 1966 when his unit was ambushed near the Demilitarized Zone. He said he was one of the last in his column, and eventually rushed forward to help the Marines who were calling for help. "Believe it or not, I had the last functioning machine gun," he said. Dodging fire, he took on nearly three dozen enemy troops. When they retreated, he was able to assist the wounded Marines. "I didn’t have any other goal in mind, other than to just, you know, help my fellow Marines," he said. "And, in retrospect, fortunately, I was able to do that."

    President Lyndon B. Johnson presented him with the Medal of Honor on May 14, 1968. "I never knew how many were killed and wounded until I went to the Vietnam Memorial," he said. "When I saw a couple of names that I knew, that were in my squad. Then the day of the action and all the names that were right there together. I was in shock. Because we were all buddies. We were all close. There was a lot." It was several years later, Pittman said, that a friend told him about a letter to the editor in Leatherneck, a monthly magazine published by the Marine Corps Association. It was from a platoon sergeant who credited him with saving his life.

    http://www.military.com/daily-news/2...es-age-71.html

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    This guy was my C.O. for a while.

    He was harder than woodpecker lips.

    Robert Howard

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    Former Vietnam War army medic to receive Medal of Honor...

    Medal of Honor Recipient A Hero to Generations of Students
    For his acts of valor during the Vietnam War, former Army medic Jim McCloughan will be the first person to receive the Medal of Honor from President Donald Trump. The official facts are impressive, as detailed in this Military.com article.
    But talk to folks in his hometown of South Haven, Michigan, where he returned after service to teach and coach, and you’ll find that he’s been an inspiration in many other ways. His positive influence has rippled through the lives of thousands of students, faculty, and parents.

    McCloughan taught sociology and psychology at South Haven High School until his retirement in 2008 earning him the Michigan Education Associations’ 40 years of Service Award. He was also the recipient of the Wolverine Conference Distinguished Service Award for 38 years of coaching football and baseball, in addition to 22 years of coaching wrestling. “In the middle of combat, you have to keep your calm to do your job effectively. This mental discipline helped me as a teacher and coach,” says McCloughan. “When things were down for our team, I would always say to myself, well, at least they’re not shooting at me.” Former soldiers from his company, students, faculty, and friends, all say the same thing—McCloughan’s humor (and his impressive singing) along with his remarkable ability to inspire the best in others, are what they remember most about him.


    This 1969 photo provided by James McCloughan shows him with the former Army medic, right, with a platoon interpreter in Nui Yon Hill in Vietnam

    Many of his students credit him for shaping and guiding them. Says former South Haven High student James Brack, “Mr. McCloughan was my teacher and wrestling coach. He taught me to never give up, never surrender, and be the best person you could possibly be. I am who I am today because of him.” “He is the type of man every student looked up to. He motivated you to bring the very best in both the classroom and on the mat. I would have ran through a wall for him and never questioned why.” Lisa Rostar, Art Teacher at South Haven High School, worked with Jim for more than a decade. She says that Jim “coached the whole student” and that “students on his teams became model students, not only doing the right thing and giving their all on each assignment but intervening if they saw a student making poor choices."

    Former students praised McCloughan as the kind of teacher that was meant to teach, and genuinely cared about every student. He was known for integrating life lessons into the subjects he taught, which made an impression on students such as Georgia Dulik-Lyons. “Little did he know it but he was a history teacher too! Actually, it was history that only a veteran can give because you won't find it in any history book,” says Dulik-Lyons. When asked about the impact he made on the lives of thousands of students, McCloughan says, “I always told my students that I am not the only teacher in this room -- you are all teachers as well. We are here to learn together.”

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    Vietnam Army medic to finally get well-deserved Medal of Honor...

    Trump to Award Medal of Honor to Alabama Veteran
    21 Sep 2017 | WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will award the Medal of Honor to a retired Army medic from Alabama who risked his life several times to provide medical care to his comrades during the Vietnam War, the White House announced Wednesday.
    Trump will award retired Army Capt. Gary M. Rose of Huntsville, Alabama, the nation's highest military honor for his actions in combat. Trump will honor Rose for his conspicuous gallantry during a White House ceremony on Oct. 23.

    The White House said Rose, 69, will be recognized for risking his life while serving as a medic with the 5th Special Force Group during combat operations in Vietnam in September 1970. Rose repeatedly ran into the line of enemy fire to provide medical care, and used his own body on one occasion to shield a wounded American from harm. On the final day of the mission, Rose was wounded but put himself in the line of enemy fire while moving wounded personnel to an extraction point, loading them into helicopters and helping to repel an enemy assault on the American position.


    Retired Army Capt. Gary Michael Rose

    As he boarded the final extraction helicopter, the aircraft was hit with intense enemy fire and crashed shortly after takeoff. The White House said Rose ignored his own injuries and pulled the helicopter crew and members of his unit from the burning wreckage and provided medical care until another extraction helicopter arrived. Rose is a 20-year veteran of the Army. He will be the second person to be awarded the Medal of Honor by Trump. The president honored James McCloughan of South Haven, Michigan, in July for his actions to save wounded soldiers in a Vietnam kill zone.

    http://www.military.com/daily-news/2...a-veteran.html

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    Retired U.S. Army captain and 5th Special Forces medic to get Medal of Honor...

    Green Beret Hero Wants His MoH to Honor All Vietnam Vets
    21 Oct 2017 | On Monday, Vietnam veteran Gary Michael "Mike" Rose will receive the Medal of Honor for his heroism during a secret mission into Laos that he promised never to discuss.
    The retired U.S. Army captain and 5th Special Forces medic is credited with risking his life on multiple occasions to treat about 70 wounded soldiers under enemy fire during Operation Tailwind. The daring mission was launched into Chavane, Laos, Sept. 11-14, 1970 and would not be declassified until June 1998.

    Rose remembers signing paperwork with Military Assistance Command, Vietnam -- Studies and Observations Group, pledging that he would never talk about Tailwind. "You gave your word that you would not talk about it," he told a group of defense reporters during an Oct. 20 interview at the Pentagon. "So I just determined that if anybody asked me, I was going to be a mail clerk during the Vietnam War," Rose said.


    Retired Army Capt. Gary Michael Rose

    His actions during Operation Tailwind paint quite a different picture of his war service. The Green Beret medic was part of a company-sized force, consisting of Americans, Vietnamese and indigenous Montagnard personnel, that inserted 70 kilometers inside enemy-controlled Laos, according to the Army award citation. The company soon made contact with an enemy squad, and two Americans and two Montagnards were wounded. One of the wounded was trapped outside the company’s defensive perimeter.

    Rose, engaging the enemy, rushed to get the wounded soldier. He gave the soldier first aid and carried the man through heavy gunfire back to the company defensive area. As Rose's unit pushed deeper into enemy territory, it ran into more enemy forces, and took more casualties. Rose moved through the enemy fire to treat the mounting numbers of wounded, firing at the enemy in order to get to the wounded men. Enemy fire was so intense that Rose had to crawl from position to position to treat the wounded. Over the next few days, the unit marched west and deeper into the Laos jungle, defending against continuous attacks from squad to company-sized enemy elements. Air Force gunships overhead provided close-air support to keep the enemy at bay.

    Wounded by an RPG

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