President Joe Biden on Jan. 3 awarded seven Korean and Vietnam War veterans with the Medal of Honor for “acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty” and eight men with the Medal of Valor for exhibiting exceptional courage in “attempting to save or protect human life.”
Korean War Bravery
The Medal of Honor is “awarded to members of the armed forces who distinguish themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of their own lives above and beyond the call of duty.” That bravery must be exhibited while “engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States,” during military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force, or while serving with “friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.”The recipients on Friday served the United States in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, according to a White House press release.
Orig, while serving with his fellow soldiers in Korea in 1951, aided a number of his comrades who had “been wounded in a fierce enemy attack that was still in progress.” He disregarded his own safety and administered first aid to the men before manning a machine gun for a wounded soldier, allowing a friendly platoon to safely withdraw “without a single casualty.” Orig was later found dead beside the weapon.
Nakamura, also serving in Korea in 1951, volunteered to inspect and repair a communications line between the command post and his platoon. During his early morning inspection, enemy forces that had surrounded friendly positions fired at Nakamura, trying to break the company defense lines.
He then rushed the enemy lines, singlehandedly attacked and destroyed a hostile machine-gun nest, and then pushed the enemy away from several captured bunkers. After reloading with an ammunition party, Nakamura charged back and killed four additional enemies while wounding a fourth. An enemy grenade killed him during the attack.
McGee received his medal for bravery in Korea in 1952 when he “delivered a heavy volume of supporting fire from an exposed position despite intense enemy machine-gun and mortar fire directly on his location.” His actions allowed multiple platoon members to evacuate the area, even after McGee had sustained wounds to his face.
Johnson was honored for his time in Korea on June 11 and 12, 1953, when Chinese forces attacked his unit during a “massive nighttime assault.” Johnson and his squad were surrounded by the Chinese troops, who injured him with both a direct artillery hit to his bunker and a hand grenade that had been thrown inside. Johnson administered first aid and personally dragged a wounded soldier to safety before putting himself between the enemy and other injured comrades. Johnson was killed in action in the early morning hours of June 12, 1953.
Vietnam War Heroics
Nelson was honored for going beyond the call of duty in the Vietnam War on June 5, 1966, when his helicopter went down in the middle of enemy positions. With no working weapons left, Nelson ignored his own injuries and aided his three wounded comrades. Despite heavy gunfire from roughly 30 feet around the downed aircraft, Nelson used his body to shield one of the injured specialists, saving the man’s life.“Captain Nelson’s selfless sacrifice allowed his wounded comrade to use a smoke grenade to signal supporting aircraft in the area, which responded immediately and successfully evacuated the three wounded crew members and Captain Nelson’s remains,” the White House wrote in a statement.
David was honored for his bravery during the Vietnam War on May 7, 1970. His company came under heavy fire, and David took a position to engage with the enemy and draw away fire from his comrades.
“Surrounded on three sides by the larger enemy force, he engaged them with his rifle and hand grenades. When the enemy attempted to concentrate their fire on the wounded, Private First Class David jumped from his position and yelled to draw the fire back to himself,” the White House wrote.
David was wounded by an incoming satchel charge but refused to retreat from his position until the last helicopter had landed, at which point David continued laying down fire before his fellow soldiers evacuated him to safety.
Medal of Valor Recipients
After the passing of the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act of 2001, which Biden co-sponsored as a senator, the president may award a Medal of Valor to a “public safety officer for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty.”Sergeant Jeffrey Mathes, Officer Rex Engelbert, and Detectives Michael Collazo, Ryan Cagle, and Zachary Plese all received the Medal of Valor for rushing into The Covenant School—a Nashville elementary school—during an active shooter situation in March 2023 to save multiple classrooms of students and successfully take down the shooter.
Sergeant Tu Tran received a medal for risking his life to save a woman who was drowning in a frigid pond on Feb. 22, 2023. Tran swam more than 30 feet through freezing water to open the rear door of the woman’s vehicle as it was descending into the water, saving the woman’s life.
Lieutenant John Vanderstar, on Oct. 23, 2022, rushed into a burning apartment to successfully save a mother and her child as both were suffocating from the smoke and fire.
Firefighter Brendan Gaffney, on Feb. 5, 2023, ran into a blazing apartment building twice to save two unconscious victims.
“In the apartment, Gaffney moved through the raging fire into a bedroom using a removed door as a shield, where he found a pregnant woman and a child, both unconscious,” the White House wrote. “He first shielded the child with his own body to get him to safety. Gaffney then ran through the fire again and rescued the woman. He performed CPR on the woman while waiting for paramedics.”
Both the woman and her child survived due to Gaffney’s efforts.
