Vietnam
Valor Friday
Of the POWs held by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War, there are many recognizable names among the 591 men who survived prolonged captivity to return home. Virtually all of them returned home to promotions (sometimes multiple grades) and received medals (most of them several). Among the survivors, Jeremiah Denton and John McCain became […]
Valor Friday
After yesterday’s noting the passing of Tommy Gwynn, one of the oldest men in Tennessee, I’ve got another legend of the Volunteer State. A good while back Poetrooper (we miss you, brother) crossed paths with a Medal of Honor recipient. Poe was a young Rakkasan in the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He’d sent me […]
Valor Friday
The handsome young officer pictured here is Robert Lewis Simpson. I happened across his story this week and found it interesting. Simpson was the pilot of the first American aircraft lost to enemy action in the skies of Vietnam. It was early in American involvement, 28 August 1962. Simpson had just had his 35th birthday […]
Medal of Honor Monday
It’s getting hard to keep up with the flurry of valor decorations being awarded/upgraded lately. I’m not complaining, as the people being honored have, in almost all cases, been very long, long overdue. I hope to report on many more of these award upgrades. As Lmn0351 noted in my Valor Friday piece last week, the […]
Three MoHs awarded today
President Trump awarded three Medals of Honor this morning. This is in addition to the two at last week’s State of the Union. Today’s recipients include (all from the Army); Master Sergeant Roddie Edmunds – A posthumous award. This is the rare MoH that isn’t an upgrade from a previous award. Edmunds’ refusal to turn […]
Valor Friday
It was a week of valor, with two Medals of Honor being awarded at the President’s State of the Union address and Coast Guardsman Scott Ruskan receiving the Legion of Merit for his rescuing dozens during the Texas flood last year. So for Valor Friday this week, I’ve got the story of Jack Jacobs. He’s […]
Valor Friday
Harold “Hal” Fritz of Wisconsin was a 25-year old Army armor officer when he earned the Medal of Honor for actions in Vietnam in 1969. He was days away from finishing his tour when he refused to stop leading his men. Not in the face of overwhelming enemy odds, not after he was seriously wounded, […]
Valor Friday
One of the first things I do when looking at an American military award recipient as I consider whether to write about them is to read the actual award citation. Sometimes this is easy to find, and other times it can be a bit tricky. It’s generally easier with the higher awards. For example, all […]
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