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Medal of Honor Recipients
- Thread starter That Guy
- Start date
KMM696
NES Member
COMBAT MEDICS! the most MoH awarded recipients more often than not.![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
Airman First Class William H. Pitsenbarger
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Airman First Class Pitsenbarger distinguished himself by extreme valor on 11 April 1966 near Cam My, Republic of Vietnam, while assigned as a Pararescue Crew Member, Detachment 6, 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron. On that date, Airman Pitsenbarger was aboard a rescue helicopter responding to a call for evacuation of casualties incurred in an ongoing firefight between elements of the United States Army's 1st Infantry Division and a sizeable enemy force approximately 35 miles east of Saigon. With complete disregard for personal safety, Airman Pitsenbarger volunteered to ride a hoist more than one hundred feet through the jungle, to the ground. On the ground, he organized and coordinated rescue efforts, cared for the wounded, prepared casualties for evacuation, and insured that the recovery operation continued in a smooth and orderly fashion. Through his personal efforts, the evacuation of the wounded was greatly expedited. As each of the nine casualties evacuated that day was recovered, Airman Pitsenbarger refused evacuation in order to get more wounded soldiers to safety. After several pick-ups, one of the two rescue helicopters involved in the evacuation was struck by heavy enemy ground fire and was forced to leave the scene for an emergency landing. Airman Pitsenbarger stayed behind on the ground to perform medical duties. Shortly thereafter, the area came under sniper and mortar fire. During a subsequent attempt to evacuate the site, American forces came under heavy assault by a large Viet Cong force. When the enemy launched the assault, the evacuation was called off and Airman Pitsenbarger took up arms with the besieged infantrymen. He courageously resisted the enemy, braving intense gunfire to gather and distribute vital ammunition to American defenders. As the battle raged on, he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to care for the wounded, pull them out of the line of fire, and return fire whenever he could, during which time he was wounded three times. Despite his wounds, he valiantly fought on, simultaneously treating as many wounded as possible. In the vicious fighting that followed, the American forces suffered 80 percent casualties as their perimeter was breached, and Airman Pitsenbarger was fatally wounded. Airman Pitsenbarger exposed himself to almost certain death by staying on the ground, and perished while saving the lives of wounded infantrymen. His bravery and determination exemplify the highest professional standards and traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Air Force.
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SFC Jared Monti
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3rd, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Jared C. Monti, United States Army.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
SFC JARED C. MONTI of Raynham, Mass
OFFICIAL CITATION
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call
of duty:
Staff Sergeant Jared C. Monti distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity
above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a team leader with Headquarters and
Headquarters Troop, 3d Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team,
10th Mountain Division, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy
in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, on June 21, 2006.
While Staff Sergeant Monti was leading a mission aimed at gathering intelligence and
directing fire against the enemy, his 16-man patrol was attacked by as many as 50 enemy
fighters. On the verge of being overrun, Staff Sergeant Monti quickly directed his men to
set up a defensive position behind a rock formation. He then called for indirect fire
support, accurately targeting the rounds upon the enemy who had closed to within 50
meters of his position. While still directing fire, Staff Sergeant Monti personally engaged
the enemy with his rifle and a grenade, successfully disrupting an attempt to flank his
patrol. Staff Sergeant Monti then realized that one of his Soldiers was lying wounded in
the open ground between the advancing enemy and the patrol’s position.
With complete disregard for his own safety, Staff Sergeant Monti twice attempted to
move from behind the cover of the rocks into the face of relentless enemy fire to rescue
his fallen comrade. Determined not to leave his Soldier, Staff Sergeant Monti made a
third attempt to cross open terrain through intense enemy fire. On this final attempt, he
was mortally wounded, sacrificing his own life in an effort to save his fellow Soldier.
Staff Sergeant Monti’s selfless acts of heroism inspired his patrol to fight off the larger
enemy force. Staff Sergeant Monti’s immeasurable courage and uncommon valor are in
keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon
himself, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment,
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and the United States Army
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3rd, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Jared C. Monti, United States Army.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
SFC JARED C. MONTI of Raynham, Mass
OFFICIAL CITATION
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call
of duty:
Staff Sergeant Jared C. Monti distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity
above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a team leader with Headquarters and
Headquarters Troop, 3d Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team,
10th Mountain Division, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy
in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, on June 21, 2006.
While Staff Sergeant Monti was leading a mission aimed at gathering intelligence and
directing fire against the enemy, his 16-man patrol was attacked by as many as 50 enemy
fighters. On the verge of being overrun, Staff Sergeant Monti quickly directed his men to
set up a defensive position behind a rock formation. He then called for indirect fire
support, accurately targeting the rounds upon the enemy who had closed to within 50
meters of his position. While still directing fire, Staff Sergeant Monti personally engaged
the enemy with his rifle and a grenade, successfully disrupting an attempt to flank his
patrol. Staff Sergeant Monti then realized that one of his Soldiers was lying wounded in
the open ground between the advancing enemy and the patrol’s position.
With complete disregard for his own safety, Staff Sergeant Monti twice attempted to
move from behind the cover of the rocks into the face of relentless enemy fire to rescue
his fallen comrade. Determined not to leave his Soldier, Staff Sergeant Monti made a
third attempt to cross open terrain through intense enemy fire. On this final attempt, he
was mortally wounded, sacrificing his own life in an effort to save his fellow Soldier.
Staff Sergeant Monti’s selfless acts of heroism inspired his patrol to fight off the larger
enemy force. Staff Sergeant Monti’s immeasurable courage and uncommon valor are in
keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon
himself, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment,
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and the United States Army
That Guy
Banned
I had no idea we had a receipient from Mass from OEF. I am usually pretty current on the MoH recipients from OIF/OEF, so to miss one from so close to home is odd.
ETA: It was signed by the president in July of 2009, which was probably why I didn't read this in the news - I was in Iraq at the time.
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That Guy
Banned
One of the members at my club whom I shoot trap with is being considered for a MoH from 1967 as I understand it. I'm not sure of the chances of it going through, but it's an amazing honor just being considered by some for an MoH.
"Herculean" heroics: Andover vet's Vietnam rescue mission in documentary » Townspeople » Andover Townsman, Andover, MA
"Herculean" heroics: Andover vet's Vietnam rescue mission in documentary » Townspeople » Andover Townsman, Andover, MA
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I actually think my Uncle served with him in Vietnam. He was a Marine and told us his Corpsman was a medal of honor recipient and also was from the Boston area so I am going to guess it might be him.
ISOTOX
NES Member
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- Feb 20, 2008
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You’re a 19 year old kid.
You are critically wounded and dying in the jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam .It’s November 14, 1965
Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense from 100 yards away, your CO (commanding officer) has ordered the MedEvac helicopters to stop coming in.
You’re lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you’re not getting out.
Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you’ll never see them again.
As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. He’s not MedEvac so it’s not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he’s flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway.
Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety. And, he keeps coming back!! 13 more times!!
Until all the wounded were out. No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.
He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.
Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Army, died at the age of 81, in Boise, Idaho.
I bet you didn’t hear about this hero’s passing, Medal of Honor Winner Captain Ed Freeman
You are critically wounded and dying in the jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam .It’s November 14, 1965
Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense from 100 yards away, your CO (commanding officer) has ordered the MedEvac helicopters to stop coming in.
You’re lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you’re not getting out.
Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you’ll never see them again.
As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. He’s not MedEvac so it’s not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he’s flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway.
Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety. And, he keeps coming back!! 13 more times!!
Until all the wounded were out. No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.
He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.
Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Army, died at the age of 81, in Boise, Idaho.
I bet you didn’t hear about this hero’s passing, Medal of Honor Winner Captain Ed Freeman
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Freeman's passing got heavy coverage, actually, back in '08 when it happened, mostly because Bruce Crandall had just received his own medal and the We Were Soldiers movie had only been released a few years before.
RIP.
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He died almost 13 years ago. True hero. WW2 Veteran, Korean War Veteran, Vietnam War Veteran.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdDYNI7V0co
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR1436oQPwQ
Go to 44:20. This guy was a legend and a riot!
"One of the bullets had come through the windshield and come under my armpit, and hit the armored plated seat in back of me. I felt something warm running down my back...and I thought, you know, I've peed my pants for sure. And I put my hand down and pulled it back, and it was blood! And I was almost elated, that I hadn't messed my....because the only clean pair of pants I had!"
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdDYNI7V0co
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR1436oQPwQ
Go to 44:20. This guy was a legend and a riot!
"One of the bullets had come through the windshield and come under my armpit, and hit the armored plated seat in back of me. I felt something warm running down my back...and I thought, you know, I've peed my pants for sure. And I put my hand down and pulled it back, and it was blood! And I was almost elated, that I hadn't messed my....because the only clean pair of pants I had!"
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Good thread. I learned about this guy just today: he's supposedly the only MOH recipient to earn the decoration for saving the life of another MOH recipient. Both are still with us as of August 2021.
Michael E Thornton
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while participating in a daring operation against enemy forces. PO Thornton, as Assistant U.S. Navy Advisor, along with a U.S. Navy lieutenant serving as Senior Advisor, accompanied a 3-man Vietnamese Navy SEAL patrol on an intelligence gathering and prisoner capture operation against an enemy-occupied naval river base. Launched from a Vietnamese Navy junk in a rubber boat, the patrol reached land and was continuing on foot toward its objective when it suddenly came under heavy fire from a numerically superior force. The patrol called in naval gunfire support and then engaged the enemy in a fierce firefight, accounting for many enemy casualties before moving back to the waterline to prevent encirclement. Upon learning that the Senior Advisor had been hit by enemy fire and was believed to be dead, PO Thornton returned through a hail of fire to the lieutenant's last position; quickly disposed of 2 enemy soldiers about to overrun the position, and succeeded in removing the seriously wounded and unconscious Senior Naval Advisor to the water's edge. He then inflated the lieutenant's lifejacket and towed him seaward for approximately 2 hours until picked up by support craft. By his extraordinary courage and perseverance, PO Thornton was directly responsible for saving the life of his superior officer and enabling the safe extraction of all patrol members, thereby upholding the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
Michael E Thornton
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while participating in a daring operation against enemy forces. PO Thornton, as Assistant U.S. Navy Advisor, along with a U.S. Navy lieutenant serving as Senior Advisor, accompanied a 3-man Vietnamese Navy SEAL patrol on an intelligence gathering and prisoner capture operation against an enemy-occupied naval river base. Launched from a Vietnamese Navy junk in a rubber boat, the patrol reached land and was continuing on foot toward its objective when it suddenly came under heavy fire from a numerically superior force. The patrol called in naval gunfire support and then engaged the enemy in a fierce firefight, accounting for many enemy casualties before moving back to the waterline to prevent encirclement. Upon learning that the Senior Advisor had been hit by enemy fire and was believed to be dead, PO Thornton returned through a hail of fire to the lieutenant's last position; quickly disposed of 2 enemy soldiers about to overrun the position, and succeeded in removing the seriously wounded and unconscious Senior Naval Advisor to the water's edge. He then inflated the lieutenant's lifejacket and towed him seaward for approximately 2 hours until picked up by support craft. By his extraordinary courage and perseverance, PO Thornton was directly responsible for saving the life of his superior officer and enabling the safe extraction of all patrol members, thereby upholding the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
Hearing him tell his own story on Jocko's podcast is absolutely riveting!
What a hard core guy!
I've only met one MOH recipient, the father of one of my old company commanders. He came for the change-of-command and man oh man, people wouldn't stop kissing his ass. He was definitely accustomed to it, too.
I hesitate to refer to an MOH recipient as an "a-hole," but he wasn't a particularly courteous guy. Kind of a diva. His son was an idiot, too, but of course he had his way paved for him in the army.
Still, there's no question Dad did something mindlessly heroic. Absolutely deserved the medal.
I hesitate to refer to an MOH recipient as an "a-hole," but he wasn't a particularly courteous guy. Kind of a diva. His son was an idiot, too, but of course he had his way paved for him in the army.
Still, there's no question Dad did something mindlessly heroic. Absolutely deserved the medal.
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Knew him a bit at Bragg when we were in Gun Devils together. He was in C Btry and I was in B. Ended up on a TDY trip to Sill to test some stuff as well. Crazy little dude and generous to a fault.
Sammy Lee Davis | Vietnam War | U.S. Army | Medal of Honor Recipient
Sammy Lee Davis
Details
Rank: Private First Class (Highest Rank: Sergeant First Class)
Conflict/Era: Vietnam War
Unit/Command:
Battery C, 2d Battalion, 4th Artillery,
9th Infantry Division
Military Service Branch: U.S. Army
Medal of Honor Action Date: November 18, 1967
Medal of Honor Action Place: Firebase Cudgil, west of Cai Lay, Republic of Vietnam
Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Davis (then Pfc.) distinguished himself during the early morning hours while serving as a cannoneer with Battery C, at a remote fire support base. At approximately 0200 hours the fire support base was under heavy enemy mortar attack. Simultaneously, an estimated reinforced Viet Cong battalion launched a fierce ground assault upon the fire support base. The attacking enemy drove to within 25 meters of the friendly positions. Only a river separated the Viet Cong from the fire support base. Detecting a nearby enemy position, Sgt. Davis seized a machine gun and provided covering fire for his gun crew, as they attempted to bring direct artillery fire on the enemy. Despite his efforts, an enemy recoilless-rifle round scored a direct hit upon the artillery piece. The resultant blast hurled the gun crew from their weapon and blew Sgt. Davis into a foxhole. He struggled to his feet and returned to the howitzer, which was burning furiously. Ignoring repeated warnings to seek cover, Sgt. Davis rammed a shell into the gun. Disregarding a withering hail of enemy fire directed against his position, he aimed and fired the howitzer which rolled backward, knocking Sgt. Davis violently to the ground. Undaunted, he returned to the weapon to fire again when an enemy mortar round exploded within 20 meters of his position, injuring him painfully. Nevertheless, Sgt. Davis loaded the artillery piece, aimed, and fired. Again he was knocked down by the recoil. In complete disregard for his safety, Sgt. Davis loaded and fired three more shells into the enemy. Disregarding his extensive injuries and his inability to swim, Sgt. Davis picked up an air mattress and struck out across the deep river to rescue three wounded comrades on the far side. Upon reaching the three wounded men, he stood upright and fired into the dense vegetation to prevent the Viet Cong from advancing. While the most seriously wounded soldier was helped across the river, Sgt. Davis protected the two remaining casualties until he could pull them across the river to the fire support base. Though suffering from painful wounds, he refused medical attention, joining another howitzer crew which fired at the large Viet Cong force until it broke contact and fled. Sgt. Davis' extraordinary heroism, at the risk of his life, is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.
Cap'n Mike
NES Member
“Place and date: West of Loc Ninh on May 2, 1968”
Master SGT Benavidez was so far west of Loc Ninh he was in Cambodia.He was a member of MACVSOG Command and Control South. One of the reasons he was originally only awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
ROY BENAVIDEZ, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT
HOME » ROY BENAVIDEZ, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT
MSG Roy P. Benavidez
USA – Vietnam
Det B-56, 5th SFG(A)
Loc Ninh, Cambodia
Action on: May 2, 1968
Death: November 29, 1998
Master Sergeant Raul Perez “Roy” Benavidez (August 5, 1935 – November 29, 1998) was a member of the United States Army Special Forces (Studies and Observations Group) and retired United States Army master sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his valorous actions in combat near Lộc Ninh, South Vietnam on May 2, 1968.Benavidez enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard in 1952 during the Korean War. In June 1955, he switched from the Army National Guard to Army active duty. In 1959, he married Hilaria Coy Benavidez, completed Airborne training, and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Army Special Forces
Benavidez returned to Fort Bragg and began training for the elite Army Special Forces. Once qualified and accepted, he became a member of the 5th Special Forces Group; and the Studies and Observations Group (SOG).
Vietnam
In 1965 he was sent to South Vietnam as an advisor to an Army of the Republic of Vietnam infantry regiment. He stepped on a land mine during a patrol and was evacuated to the United States. Doctors at Fort Sam Houston concluded he would never walk again and began preparing his medical discharge papers. As Benavidez noted in his 1981 MOH acceptance speech, stung by the diagnosis, as well as flag burnings and media criticism of the US military presence in Vietnam he saw on TV, he began an unsanctioned nightly training ritual in an attempt to redevelop his ability to walk.
Getting out of bed at night (against doctors’ orders), Benavidez would crawl using his elbows and chin to a wall near his bedside and (with the encouragement of his fellow patients, many of whom were permanently paralyzed and/or missing limbs) he would prop himself against the wall and attempt to lift himself unaided, starting by wiggling his toes, then his feet, and then eventually (after several months of excruciating practice that, by his own admission, often left him in tears) pushing himself up the wall with his ankles and legs. After over a year of hospitalization, Benavidez walked out of the hospital in July 1966, with his wife at his side, determined to return to combat in Vietnam. Despite continuing pain from his wounds, he returned to South Vietnam in January 1968.
6 Hours in Hell
On May 2, 1968, a 12-man Special Forces patrol, which included nine Montagnard tribesmen, was surrounded by a NVA infantry battalion of about 1,000 men. Benavidez heard the radio appeal for help and boarded a helicopter to respond. Armed only with a knife, he jumped from the helicopter carrying his medical bag and ran to help the trapped patrol. Benavidez “distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions… and because of his gallant choice to join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men.”
At one point in the battle an NVA soldier accosted him and stabbed him with his bayonet. Benavidez pulled it out, yanked out his own knife, killed him and kept going, leaving his knife in the NVA soldier’s body. After the battle, he was evacuated to the base camp, examined, and thought to be dead. As he was placed in a body bag among the other dead in body bags, he was suddenly recognized by a friend who called for help. A doctor came and examined him but believed Benavidez was dead. The doctor was about to zip up the body bag when Benavidez managed to spit in his face, alerting the doctor that he was alive.[5] Benavidez had a total of 37 separate bullet, bayonet, and shrapnel wounds from the six-hour fight with the enemy battalion.
Benavidez was evacuated once again to Fort Sam Houston’s Brooke Army Medical Center, where he eventually recovered. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism and four Purple Hearts. In 1969, he was assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas. In 1972, he was assigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas where he remained until retirement.
In 1973, after more detailed accounts became available, Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel Ralph R. Drake insisted that Benavidez receive the Medal of Honor. By then, however, the time limit on the medal had expired. An appeal to Congress resulted in an exemption for Benavidez, but the Army Decorations Board denied him an upgrade of his Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor.
The Army board required an eyewitness account from someone present during the action. Benavidez believed that there were no living witnesses of the “Six Hours in Hell.”
Unbeknownst to Benavidez, there was a living witness, who would later provide the eyewitness account necessary: Brian O’Connor, the former radioman of Benavidez’s Special Forces team in Vietnam. O’Connor had been severely wounded (Benavidez had believed him dead), and he was evacuated to the United States before his superiors could fully debrief him.
O’Connor had been living in the Fiji Islands when, in 1980, he was on holiday in Australia. During his holiday O’Connor read a newspaper account of Benavidez from an El Campo newspaper, which had been picked up by the international press and reprinted in Australia. O’Connor immediately contacted Benavidez and submitted a ten-page report of the encounter, confirming the accounts provided by others, and serving as the necessary eyewitness. Benavidez’s Distinguished Service Cross accordingly was upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
On February 24, 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented Roy P. Benavidez with the Medal of Honor. Reagan turned to the press and said, “If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it”. He then read the official award citation.
Richard Sorenson was the guest speaker at our Marine Corps Ball in Lake Tahoe in 1996.
This picture of us was taken a few days later at the Veteran's Day Parade in Virginia City, NV.
He survived after falling on a grenade during the battle of Kwajalein on the night of February 1–2, 1944.
Cap'n Mike
NES Member
I was fortunate enough to grow up in the same neiborhood with Seregrant Macgillivary, was friends with his granddaughter and swam in his pool a few times.
DETAILS
CITATION
He led a squad when his unit moved forward in darkness to meet the threat of a breakthrough by elements of the 17th German Panzer Grenadier Division. Assigned to protect the left flank, he discovered hostile troops digging in. As he reported this information, several German machine guns opened fire, stopping the American advance. Knowing the position of the enemy, Sgt. MacGillivary volunteered to knock out one of the guns while another company closed in from the right to assault the remaining strongpoints. He circled from the left through woods and snow, carefully worked his way to the emplacement, and shot the two camouflaged gunners at a range of three feet as other enemy forces withdrew. Early in the afternoon of the same day, Sgt. MacGillivary was dispatched on reconnaissance and found that Company I was being opposed by about six machine guns reinforcing a company of fanatically fighting Germans. His unit began to attack but was pinned down by furious automatic and small-arms fire. With a clear idea of where the enemy guns were placed, he voluntarily embarked on a lone combat patrol. Skillfully taking advantage of all available cover, he stalked the enemy, reached a hostile machine gun, and blasted its crew with a grenade. He picked up a submachine gun from the battlefield and pressed on to within 10 yards of another machine gun, where the enemy crew discovered him and feverishly tried to swing their weapon into line to cut him down. He charged ahead, jumped into the midst of the Germans, and killed them with several bursts. Without hesitation, he moved on to still another machine gun, creeping, crawling, and rushing from tree to tree, until close enough to toss a grenade into the emplacement and close with its defenders. He dispatched this crew also, but was himself seriously wounded. Through his indomitable fighting spirit, great initiative, and utter disregard for personal safety in the face of powerful enemy resistance, Sgt. MacGillivary destroyed four hostile machine guns and immeasurably helped his company to continue on its mission with minimum casualties.
CHARLES ANDREW MACGILLIVARY
DETAILS
- RANK: SERGEANT (HIGHEST RANK: TECHNICAL SERGEANT)
- CONFLICT/ERA: WORLD WAR II
- UNIT/COMMAND:
COMPANY I, 463D BATTALION, 71ST INFANTRY,
44TH INFANTRY DIVISION - MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. ARMY
- MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE:JANUARY 1, 1945
- MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE:NEAR WOELFLING, FRANCE
CITATION
He led a squad when his unit moved forward in darkness to meet the threat of a breakthrough by elements of the 17th German Panzer Grenadier Division. Assigned to protect the left flank, he discovered hostile troops digging in. As he reported this information, several German machine guns opened fire, stopping the American advance. Knowing the position of the enemy, Sgt. MacGillivary volunteered to knock out one of the guns while another company closed in from the right to assault the remaining strongpoints. He circled from the left through woods and snow, carefully worked his way to the emplacement, and shot the two camouflaged gunners at a range of three feet as other enemy forces withdrew. Early in the afternoon of the same day, Sgt. MacGillivary was dispatched on reconnaissance and found that Company I was being opposed by about six machine guns reinforcing a company of fanatically fighting Germans. His unit began to attack but was pinned down by furious automatic and small-arms fire. With a clear idea of where the enemy guns were placed, he voluntarily embarked on a lone combat patrol. Skillfully taking advantage of all available cover, he stalked the enemy, reached a hostile machine gun, and blasted its crew with a grenade. He picked up a submachine gun from the battlefield and pressed on to within 10 yards of another machine gun, where the enemy crew discovered him and feverishly tried to swing their weapon into line to cut him down. He charged ahead, jumped into the midst of the Germans, and killed them with several bursts. Without hesitation, he moved on to still another machine gun, creeping, crawling, and rushing from tree to tree, until close enough to toss a grenade into the emplacement and close with its defenders. He dispatched this crew also, but was himself seriously wounded. Through his indomitable fighting spirit, great initiative, and utter disregard for personal safety in the face of powerful enemy resistance, Sgt. MacGillivary destroyed four hostile machine guns and immeasurably helped his company to continue on its mission with minimum casualties.
GaryO
NES Member
This is a good video about his actions that saved 8 other men. I don't know how he survived, I believe his faith had a lot to do with it.“Place and date: West of Loc Ninh on May 2, 1968”
Master SGT Benavidez was so far west of Loc Ninh he was in Cambodia.
He was a member of MACVSOG Command and Control South. One of the reasons he was originally only awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
ROY BENAVIDEZ, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT
HOME » ROY BENAVIDEZ, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT
MSG Roy P. Benavidez
USA – Vietnam
Det B-56, 5th SFG(A)
Loc Ninh, Cambodia
Action on: May 2, 1968
Death: November 29, 1998
Master Sergeant Raul Perez “Roy” Benavidez (August 5, 1935 – November 29, 1998) was a member of the United States Army Special Forces (Studies and Observations Group) and retired United States Army master sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his valorous actions in combat near Lộc Ninh, South Vietnam on May 2, 1968.
Benavidez enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard in 1952 during the Korean War. In June 1955, he switched from the Army National Guard to Army active duty. In 1959, he married Hilaria Coy Benavidez, completed Airborne training, and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Army Special Forces
Benavidez returned to Fort Bragg and began training for the elite Army Special Forces. Once qualified and accepted, he became a member of the 5th Special Forces Group; and the Studies and Observations Group (SOG).
Vietnam
In 1965 he was sent to South Vietnam as an advisor to an Army of the Republic of Vietnam infantry regiment. He stepped on a land mine during a patrol and was evacuated to the United States. Doctors at Fort Sam Houston concluded he would never walk again and began preparing his medical discharge papers. As Benavidez noted in his 1981 MOH acceptance speech, stung by the diagnosis, as well as flag burnings and media criticism of the US military presence in Vietnam he saw on TV, he began an unsanctioned nightly training ritual in an attempt to redevelop his ability to walk.
Getting out of bed at night (against doctors’ orders), Benavidez would crawl using his elbows and chin to a wall near his bedside and (with the encouragement of his fellow patients, many of whom were permanently paralyzed and/or missing limbs) he would prop himself against the wall and attempt to lift himself unaided, starting by wiggling his toes, then his feet, and then eventually (after several months of excruciating practice that, by his own admission, often left him in tears) pushing himself up the wall with his ankles and legs. After over a year of hospitalization, Benavidez walked out of the hospital in July 1966, with his wife at his side, determined to return to combat in Vietnam. Despite continuing pain from his wounds, he returned to South Vietnam in January 1968.
6 Hours in Hell
On May 2, 1968, a 12-man Special Forces patrol, which included nine Montagnard tribesmen, was surrounded by a NVA infantry battalion of about 1,000 men. Benavidez heard the radio appeal for help and boarded a helicopter to respond. Armed only with a knife, he jumped from the helicopter carrying his medical bag and ran to help the trapped patrol. Benavidez “distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions… and because of his gallant choice to join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men.”
At one point in the battle an NVA soldier accosted him and stabbed him with his bayonet. Benavidez pulled it out, yanked out his own knife, killed him and kept going, leaving his knife in the NVA soldier’s body. After the battle, he was evacuated to the base camp, examined, and thought to be dead. As he was placed in a body bag among the other dead in body bags, he was suddenly recognized by a friend who called for help. A doctor came and examined him but believed Benavidez was dead. The doctor was about to zip up the body bag when Benavidez managed to spit in his face, alerting the doctor that he was alive.[5] Benavidez had a total of 37 separate bullet, bayonet, and shrapnel wounds from the six-hour fight with the enemy battalion.
Benavidez was evacuated once again to Fort Sam Houston’s Brooke Army Medical Center, where he eventually recovered. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism and four Purple Hearts. In 1969, he was assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas. In 1972, he was assigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas where he remained until retirement.
In 1973, after more detailed accounts became available, Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel Ralph R. Drake insisted that Benavidez receive the Medal of Honor. By then, however, the time limit on the medal had expired. An appeal to Congress resulted in an exemption for Benavidez, but the Army Decorations Board denied him an upgrade of his Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor.
The Army board required an eyewitness account from someone present during the action. Benavidez believed that there were no living witnesses of the “Six Hours in Hell.”
Unbeknownst to Benavidez, there was a living witness, who would later provide the eyewitness account necessary: Brian O’Connor, the former radioman of Benavidez’s Special Forces team in Vietnam. O’Connor had been severely wounded (Benavidez had believed him dead), and he was evacuated to the United States before his superiors could fully debrief him.
O’Connor had been living in the Fiji Islands when, in 1980, he was on holiday in Australia. During his holiday O’Connor read a newspaper account of Benavidez from an El Campo newspaper, which had been picked up by the international press and reprinted in Australia. O’Connor immediately contacted Benavidez and submitted a ten-page report of the encounter, confirming the accounts provided by others, and serving as the necessary eyewitness. Benavidez’s Distinguished Service Cross accordingly was upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
On February 24, 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented Roy P. Benavidez with the Medal of Honor. Reagan turned to the press and said, “If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it”. He then read the official award citation.
tuna
NES Member
I accidently found this man's grave in Fairview Cemetery in Chicopee a few years back.
Sgt Charles Tracy.
At the risk of his own life, at Spotsylvania, 12 May 1864, assisted in carrying to a place of safety a wounded and helpless officer. On 2 April 1865, advanced with the pioneers, and, under heavy fire, assisted in removing two lines of chevaux-de-frise; was twice wounded but advanced to the third line, where he was again severely wounded, losing a leg.
Sgt Charles Tracy.
At the risk of his own life, at Spotsylvania, 12 May 1864, assisted in carrying to a place of safety a wounded and helpless officer. On 2 April 1865, advanced with the pioneers, and, under heavy fire, assisted in removing two lines of chevaux-de-frise; was twice wounded but advanced to the third line, where he was again severely wounded, losing a leg.
That's quite a find. How did you find it? Is it marked as an MOH recipient?
tuna
NES Member
It was 13 years ago, I was walking my daughter in the cemetery (avoids cars) and looked down and the tombstone was marked Medal of Honor. I took down the name and looked him up. Pretty interesting find - there are a ton of graves from the Grand Army of the Republic there.
![[halfmast]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/040.gif "Half Mast [halfmast]")
Medal of Honor Monday: Army Staff Sgt. George J. Hall
After he was badly wounded taking out two German machine gun nests near Anzio, Italy in 1944, Army Staff Sgt. George John Hall had to self-amputate his leg to survive. His bravery and fearlessness
www.defense.gov
Army Staff Sgt. George John Hall had been near Anzio, Italy for about two months in 1944 when he faced one of the toughest days – and decisions – of his life. After singlehandedly taking out two enemy positions to help his unit move forward, Hall had to self-amputate his leg to survive. His bravery and fearlessness earned him the Medal of Honor.
Hall was born on Jan. 9, 1920, in Stoneham, Massachusetts. He attended only one year of high school before dropping out to help his father, William, work on the family farm. He joined the Massachusetts National Guard in his later teens and was discharged from there when he joined the U.S. Army in 1940.
Hall received training in Panama and served at a few U.S. installations, including Fort Hamilton, New York, where he met and married his wife, Elizabeth. He was then sent overseas to fight in World War II’s Italian campaign, which began in September 1943.
As a member of the 135th Infantry, 34th Infantry Division, Hall saw action at the crossing of the Volturno River that October and at the town of Cassino in January 1944. His unit eventually landed in Anzio that March, where he remained fighting the enemy for about two months.
Spotlight: Commemorating World War II
Early on the morning of May 23, 1944, the 34th began its push toward Rome. Hall was with Company B, which was trying to attack the enemy across flat, open terrain. Shortly after the assault began, his unit was pinned down by fire from three machine guns and snipers.
Hall was at the front of his platoon, so he volunteered to try to destroy the machine gun nests. Despite the intense enemy fire, Hall crawled about 60 yards along a plowed trench to get within hand-grenade range of one of the guns, then tossed four into the nest. When the smoke cleared, Hall found two dead Germans and four other stunned enemy soldiers. Hall ordered them to crawl back to the U.S. lines to surrender, which he said they did.
Hall found himself in range of the next machine gun position, so he kept going. He was out of grenades, but he luckily came across several German explosives, known as “potato mashers” due to their kitchen utensil-like shape, in the first machine gun nest he’d cleared.
So, Hall engaged the enemies at the second position in a deadly exchange of grenades. Each time he exposed himself to throw one, the Germans fired machine-gun bursts at him and threw more grenades back. The vicious duel finally ended in Hall's favor with five enemies surrendering and five others dead. Hall sent those prisoners back to the U.S. line, too.
He then turned his attention to the third machine gun nest about 50 yards away. Again, Hall crawled along a trench as the enemy frantically fired at him. As he closed in on the last enemy position, the Germans concentrated their artillery on the area. A shell burst pulverized Hall’s right leg. He said in a 1945 War Department news release that it just about cut off his right leg, and his left foot was also badly injured.
“As soon as I saw what had happened to my leg, I knew I couldn’t go forward anymore,” Hall explained in the news release. “I turned around and started to crawl back. It was about 75 yards to our men.”
But he said he just couldn’t make it.
“Every time I tried to drag my leg, the pain was so great I had to give up. I yelled for a medic, but there was so much noise nobody could hear me,” Hall said. “I lay there and rested awhile to gather my wits. I was still under fire, and I knew I would have to do something. … So, I pulled my sheath knife out and cut through the two tendons that were holding my leg on.”
To survive, Hall cut off his own leg.
“I was able to crawl after that,” he said. When Hall finally made it to safety, medics stopped the bleeding with a tourniquet and gave him a sedative.
As Hall was carried away to get better medical treatment, his fellow soldiers said they heard him complaining about not having wiped out the third enemy position. So, they took up where he left off. Hall’s platoon knocked out the remaining gunner’s nest with minimal losses and move forward toward their objective. Hall's fearlessness and determined fighting spirit made that possible.
Hall was initially hospitalized overseas before being sent home in mid-July 1944 to receive treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. There, doctors also had to amputate his left big toe.
Hall was discharged from the Army on Jan. 16, 1945. He and his wife lived in Brooklyn, New York, after his return and had two children, William and Ruth, according to his obituary in the Boston Globe.
On April 6, 1945, Hall received the Medal of Honor from Army Maj. Gen. Sherman Miles at a ceremony on the Boston Common. A few months later, he was appointed as a local contact representative for the Veterans Administration, according to a Boston Globe article.
Unfortunately, Hall’s post-war life was cut short by complications related to his injuries at Anzio. He died on Feb. 16, 1946, nearly two years after that day in battle. He was 26.
Hall chose to be buried in St. Patrick’s Cemetery in his hometown. Three of his four brothers, all of whom also served in World War II, were able to attend.
The town of Stoneham remembers the young staff sergeant’s contributions to the war effort with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 620 and a community pool, both of which bear his name. Hall’s Medal of Honor is also housed in the Stoneham town hall.
Last World War II Medal of Honor recipient, Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams, dies at 98
Medal of Honor Recipient and World War II Veteran Hershel “Woody” Williams, 98, died on Wednesday.
thehill.com
RIP
JOHN ROBERT FOX
- RANK: FIRST LIEUTENANT
- CONFLICT/ERA: WORLD WAR II
- UNIT/COMMAND:
ATTACHED TO THE 598TH FIELD ARTILLERY BATTALION, CANNON COMPANY, 366TH INFANTRY,
92D INFANTRY DIVISION - MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. ARMY
- MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: DECEMBER 26, 1944
- MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: SERCHIO RIVER VALLEY IN THE VICINITY OF SOMMOCOLONIA, ITALY
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: First Lieutenant John R. Fox distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism at the risk of his own life on 26 December 1944 in the Serchio River Valley Sector, in the vicinity of Sommocolonia, Italy. Lieutenant Fox was a member of Cannon Company, 366th Infantry, 92d Infantry Division, acting as a forward observer, while attached to the 598th Field Artillery Battalion. Christmas Day in the Serchio Valley was spent in positions which had been occupied for some weeks. During Christmas night, there was a gradual influx of enemy soldiers in civilian clothes and by early morning the town was largely in enemy hands. An organized attack by uniformed German formations was launched around 0400 hours, 26 December 1944. Reports were received that the area was being heavily shelled by everything the Germans had, and although most of the U.S. infantry forces withdrew from the town, Lieutenant Fox and members of his observer party remained behind on the second floor of a house, directing defensive fires. Lieutenant Fox reported at 0800 hours that the Germans were in the streets and attacking in strength. He called for artillery fire increasingly close to his own position. He told his battalion commander, "That was just where I wanted it. Bring it in 60 yards!" His commander protested that there was a heavy barrage in the area and the bombardment would be too close. Lieutenant Fox gave his adjustment, requesting that the barrage be fired. The distance was cut in half. The Germans continued to press forward in large numbers, surrounding the position. Lieutenant Fox again called for artillery fire with the commander protesting again, stating, "Fox, that will be on you!" The last communication from Lieutenant Fox was, "Fire It! There's more of them than there are of us. Give them hell!" The bodies of Lieutenant Fox and his party were found in the vicinity of his position when his position was taken. This action, by Lieutenant Fox, at the cost of his own life, inflicted heavy casualties, causing the deaths of approxamately 100 German soldiers, thereby delaying the advance of the enemy until infantry and artillery units could by reorganized to meet the attack. Lieutenant Fox's extraordinarily valorous actions exemplify the highest traditions of the military service.
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4 New fellas added to the CMH Rolls today. God bless them all and a heartfelt Thank you.
The recipients include Specialist 5 Dwight Birdwell, who led an armored unit through a bloody ambush in 1968; Maj. John J. Duffy, a Special Forces officer who fought off an attack on his fire base in 1972; Specialist 5 Dennis M. Fujii, who, having survived a helicopter crash, directed airstrikes on advancing forces while under fire in Laos in 1971; and Staff Sgt. Edward N. Kaneshiro, who cleared a trench of enemy fighters using grenades and a rifle in 1967 and died a few months later in another battle.
Spec 5 Dwight Birdwell
The recipients include Specialist 5 Dwight Birdwell, who led an armored unit through a bloody ambush in 1968; Maj. John J. Duffy, a Special Forces officer who fought off an attack on his fire base in 1972; Specialist 5 Dennis M. Fujii, who, having survived a helicopter crash, directed airstrikes on advancing forces while under fire in Laos in 1971; and Staff Sgt. Edward N. Kaneshiro, who cleared a trench of enemy fighters using grenades and a rifle in 1967 and died a few months later in another battle.
Spec 5 Dwight Birdwell
It is a travesty that these men had to wait so long to be recognised for their courage.
