On July 5, 2022, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will award the Medal of Honor to 4 U.S. Army Troopers who fought within the Vietnam Struggle: Employees Sergeant Edward N. Kaneshiro (posthumous), Specialist 5 Dwight W. Birdwell, Specialist 5 Dennis M. Fujii, and retired Main John J. Duffy.
Employees Sergeant Edward N. Kaneshiro will obtain the Medal of Honor posthumously for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and past the decision of responsibility whereas serving as an infantry squad chief with Troop C, 1st Squadron, ninth Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, close to Phu Huu 2, Kim Son Valley, Republic of Vietnam, on Dec. 1, 1966. Employees Sergeant Kaneshiro and his crew entered the village of Phu Huu 2 whereas on a search and destroy mission and had been attacked by North Vietnamese. Employees Sergeant Kaneshiro destroyed one enemy group with rifle hearth and two others with grenades, which enabled the orderly extrication and reorganization of the platoon and finally led to a profitable withdrawal from the village. He served in Vietnam between July 18, 1966, till his loss of life on March 6, 1967, on account of a hostile gunshot wound.
Specialist 5 Dwight W. Birdwell will obtain the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and past the decision of responsibility whereas serving with Troop C, third Squadron, 4th Cavalry, twenty fifth Infantry Division, within the Republic of Vietnam on January 31, 1968. That day, a big enemy aspect initiated an assault on the Tan Son Nhut Airbase close to Saigon. They disabled or destroyed lots of the unit’s autos and incapacitated Specialist 5 Birdwell’s tank commander. Below heavy enemy small-arms hearth, Specialist 5 Birdwell moved the tank commander to security and fired the tank’s weapons on the enemy pressure. Afterwards, he dismounted and continued preventing till receiving enemy hearth to his face and torso. He refused evacuation and led a small group of defenders to disrupt the enemy assault till reinforcements arrived. He then aided in evacuating the wounded till he was ordered to hunt consideration for his personal wounds. He was honorably discharged on December 29, 1968, and at the moment practices regulation in Oklahoma Metropolis.
Specialist 5 Dennis M. Fujii will obtain the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and past the decision of responsibility whereas serving as crew chief aboard a helicopter ambulance throughout rescue operations in Laos and the Republic of Vietnam from February 18 – 22, 1971. Throughout a mission to evacuate significantly wounded Vietnamese navy personnel, Specialist 5 Fujii’s medevac helicopter took on enemy hearth and was pressured to crash land. Though injured, he waved off a rescue from one other helicopter and remained behind as the one American on the battlefield. Throughout that evening and the subsequent day, though wounded, he administered first help to allied casualties. On the evening of February 19, he known as in American helicopter gunships to help in repelling an enemy assault. For greater than 17 hours, he repeatedly uncovered himself to hostile hearth as he left the safety of his entrenchment to higher observe enemy troop positions and to direct air strikes in opposition to them till an American helicopter may try and airlift him from the world. Upon completion of his tour, he joined the Army Reserve and at the moment resides in Hawaii.
Main John J. Duffy will obtain the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and past the decision of responsibility whereas serving because the senior advisor to the eleventh Airborne Battalion, 2nd Brigade, Airborne Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam, from April 14 – 15, 1972. Two days earlier, the commander of the eleventh Airborne Battalion had been killed, the battalion command publish destroyed, and Main Duffy was twice wounded. He refused to be evacuated. Within the morning hours of April 14, after a failed effort to determine a touchdown zone for resupply plane, he moved near enemy anti-aircraft positions to name in airstrikes and was wounded once more, however nonetheless refused evacuation. Within the late afternoon, the enemy started a floor assault from all sides, and Main Duffy moved from place to place to regulate hearth, spot targets for artillery and direct gunship hearth. Within the early morning of April 15, after an enemy ambush, he led evacuees, lots of whom had been significantly wounded, to an evacuation space, the place he directed gunship hearth on enemy positions and marked a touchdown zone for the helicopters. Solely after guaranteeing all evacuees had been aboard, did he board as nicely, helping a wounded pleasant international soldier and administering help to a wounded helicopter door gunner. Main Duffy’s service included three excursions in Vietnam in a myriad of Special Forces assignments. He retired from the Army on Could 31, 1977, and at present lives in Santa Cruz, California.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEDAL OF HONOR:
The Medal of Honor is awarded to members of the armed forces who distinguish themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity on the danger of their very own lives above and past the decision of responsibility whereas:
- engaged in an motion in opposition to an enemy of america;
- engaged in navy operations involving battle with an opposing international pressure; or
- serving with pleasant international forces engaged in an armed battle in opposition to an opposing armed pressure during which america is just not a belligerent get together.
The meritorious conduct should contain nice private bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to obviously distinguish the person above his or her comrades and should have concerned danger of life. There have to be incontestable proof of the efficiency of the meritorious conduct, and every suggestion for the award have to be thought of on the usual of extraordinary advantage.
