Those who will receive the medal — the most prestigious award in the U.S. military — are Staff Sergeant Edward N. Kaneshiro, Specialist 5 Dwight W. Birdwell, Specialist 5 Dennis M. Fuji and retired Maj. John J. Duffy.
In 1966, Kaneshiro and members of his platoon were attacked by North Vietnamese as they entered a village on a search-and-destroy mission. According to the White House, “Kaneshiro destroyed one enemy group with rifle fire and two others with grenades, which allowed for the orderly release and reorganization of the platoon and ultimately resulted in a successful withdrawal from the village.” Kaneshiro, who was killed in action three months after the incident for which he was awarded, will receive the award posthumously.
Kaneshiro’s son told CNN that his father’s story inspired his own career in the military.
“Just to imagine … for him to just be selfless and just jump into the fire like that. It inspired me to … live up to what he did,” John Kaneshiro said.
Birdwell, a former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Justice, would receive the medal for his actions in January 1968.
At an air base near Saigon on the first day of what would become known as the Tet Offensive, Birdwell and his unit were attacked by the North Vietnamese. While under fire, he moved the tank commander to safety and fired the tank’s guns at enemy forces, according to the White House. When the tank’s weapons were exhausted, he dismounted and moved to a downed helicopter to retrieve ammunition and machine guns with a comrade. Birdwell’s machine gun exploded when hit by enemy rounds, injuring his face and torso, but he refused to evacuate and led a small party to disrupt the attackers. He then helped evacuate the wounded until he was ordered to seek help for his own injuries.
“I was doing the job I was trained to do. I felt I had to do that. It was a matter of duty. And I did my duty to the best of my ability,” Birdwell said. “I have wondered a thousand times why I survived and some of the others did not, but I thought that when I go to court, if I have the courage, I will ask God that question.”
Fuji would receive the medal for his actions during a helicopter ambulance rescue operation in Laos and Vietnam over four days in February 1971.
Aboard a helicopter during a mission to evacuate badly wounded Vietnamese military personnel, the plane came under enemy fire and was forced to crash land, according to the White House. Being wounded, Fuji refused rescue by another helicopter and was the only American left on the battlefield. He repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire, rendered first aid to allies, and called in US attack helicopters to repel enemy attacks.
Duffy received the award for his actions in Vietnam in April 1972.
Wounded at his battalion’s destroyed command post in South Vietnam, where the battalion commander was killed, Duffy refused to be evacuated. There, he “led a two-day defense of the surrounded FSB against a battalion-sized enemy force,” according to the US military. He exposed himself to the enemy to call in airstrikes and was wounded again when hit by rifle fragments. But Duffy remained, directing attack helicopters to enemy anti-aircraft and artillery positions. He then personally ensured that the wounded soldiers were moved to a safe place and distributed ammunition. And during a ground attack by enemy forces, Duffy moved several times to spot targets. He later led more wounded soldiers to an evacuation “while in constant pursuit by the enemy,” the army said.
Duffy, now 84, was deployed to Vietnam four times, earning 64 awards and decorations — including 29 for valor, four Bronze Stars, eight Purple Hearts and seven Air Medals.
“You are bound by honor to do your duty, and no matter the risk or the danger. You are there to fulfill it. And while you’re doing it, you’re in control,” said Duffy, a former Medal of Honor recipient.
Tuesday’s ceremony comes a week after the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient, Herschel W. “Woody” Williams, died at age 98. Williams will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol.
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