President Biden awarded the Medal of Honor to 4 Vietnam Battle veterans Tuesday — together with one former soldier who caught an injured compatriot as they fell out of a helicopter.
“We’re upgrading the awards for troopers who carried out acts of unbelievable heroism throughout the Vietnam battle,” Biden stated within the White Home East Room.
“I imply, it’s simply astounding while you hear what every of them have achieved,” the president added. “They went far above and past the decision of responsibility.”
The three surviving veterans — Specialist 5 Dwight Birdwell, Specialist 5 Dennis Fujii and retired Main John Duffy — stood with Biden as they obtained their awards. The fourth honoree, Workers Sgt. Edward N. Kaneshiro, was killed in motion on March 6, 1967.
Kaneshiro destroyed three Communist positions in a Vietnamese village by deploying two grenades and rifle fireplace throughout a 1966 ambush, in accordance with the official quotation for his medal.
Fujii fought off enemy troops for 17 hours in Laos throughout a frantic 1971 evacuation effort.
Birdwell helped evacuate colleagues close to Saigon throughout the Tet Offensive in January 1968 regardless of being shot within the face and torso.
Duffy assisted in a daring 1972 evacuation of injured troopers whereas directing fireplace on Viet Cong positions.
Duffy “made certain he was the final to board the helicopter and at last the airship was able to depart [and] one among his Vietnamese allies was shot within the foot, inflicting him to fall backwards out of the helicopter. Main Duffy caught him and dragged him again in,” Biden stated.
Biden, 79, is of the identical technology that fought the Vietnam Battle, however obtained draft deferments and was not among the many roughly 2.7 million People despatched to South Vietnam to combat off the finally victorious Communist onslaught.
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