Vietnam
Valor Friday
When Captain Riley Pitts’ posthumous Medal of Honor was presented to his widow Eula Mae, President Lyndon Johnson said, What this man did in an hour of incredible courage will live in the story of America as long as America endures – as he will live in the hearts and memories of those who loved […]
CA Governor Pardons MOH Awardee for Drug Conviction
Sergeant Richard “Butch” Penry Gov. Newsom pardons Petaluma Vietnam War hero for drug offenses committed after returning home By John Ramos On Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a posthumous pardon to a North Bay Vietnam War hero for drug offenses committed after returning home. The park overlooking downtown Petaluma is named for Richard Allen […]
Valor Friday
Harold Bascom Durham Jr was born 12 October 1942 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The city of his birth is deep in cotton and tobacco country, and was the site of a 1962 Martin Luther King Jr. speech where he used his “I have a dream” line a year before he delivered it on the […]
Valor Friday
I’ve been talking in this section a lot lately about Vietnam War POWs, and those who nearly became one. We’re also about two weeks away from the 52nd anniversary of the start of the repatriation of those POWs, so lets take a look back. In mid-February 1973, after all major American ground troop formations had […]
Air Force Pilot, lost over Vietnam, identified
Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Donald Downing was flying a reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam September 5, 1967, when his wingman described a “large, bright fireball” after which Downing’s plane went silent. U.S. Air Force Captain Donald W. Downing was assigned to the 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 12th Tactical Fighter Wing, 7th Air Force in September […]
Valor Friday
Last week, as we wrapped up the dramatic rescue of Bat 21, I discussed the Medal of Honor earning heroics of Navy SEAL Lieutenant Thomas Norris. Norris received the Medal of Honor from President Ford in 1976, after having initially refused the award. He was presented with the medal at a White House ceremony where […]
Valor Friday
Where last we left Lieutenant Colonel Iceal “Gene” Hambleton and 1st Lieutenant Mark Clark they were trapped in South Vietnam, amidst the largest North Vietnamese Army (NVA) combined arms offensive of the war. It was April 5, 1972, and Hambleton had been alone on the ground for three days after being the lone survivor from […]
Biden awards seven Medals of Honor
When he’s not letting rapists and murderers off death row, Biden’s using his lame duck time to do something useful for once. Yesterday he upgraded seven awards (six DSCs and one Silver Star by my count) to the Medal of Honor. Five are from the Korean War and two from Vietnam. Only one of […]
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