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President Biden awarded the nation’s highest honor for bravery in combat, the Medal of Honor, to four Vietnam War soldiers on Tuesday, saying it was “finally” possible to “set the record straight” after decades in which actions they were not properly acknowledged.
The men had served in the military and had previously received lower-level honors for their bravery on the battlefield. But after years of deliberation, senior military officials decided to raise each of their awards, and Biden approved.
“It’s just amazing when you hear what each one of them has done,” the president enthused during a White House ceremony. “They went above and beyond the call of duty. It’s a phrase that’s always thrown around, but it comes to life when you see these men.
Biden will present the Medal of Honor to soldiers for bravery in the Vietnam War
Recipients include Spec 5 Dwight Birdwell, who led an armored unit through a bloody ambush in 1968; Major John J. Duffy, a special forces officer who repels an attack in 1972; spec 5 Dennis M. Fuji who, after surviving a helicopter crash, directs airstrikes against advancing forces while under fire in Laos in 1971; and Staff Sgt. Edward N. Kaneshiro, who cleared a trench of enemy fighters using grenades and a rifle in 1967 and died a few months later in another battle.
Biden said the awards were made possible in part because of a congressionally mandated review of the actions of Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during the Korean and Vietnam wars. A similar review of unrecognized cases of bravery during World War II resulted in 22 Medals of Honor commendations, including one for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Biden said.
Birdwell, Duffy and Fuji stood peacefully as Biden dangled the award around their necks in the East Room of the White House. Kaneshiro’s award was accepted posthumously by his son John.
“It’s been a long road to this day for these heroes and their families, and it’s been more than 50 years — 50 years — since the jungles of Vietnam where, as young men, these soldiers first proved their courage,” Biden said. “Time has not diminished their astonishing bravery, their selflessness in putting the lives of others before their own, and the gratitude we as a nation owe them.”
Birdwell, of Oklahoma, had previously been awarded the Silver Star, the military’s third-highest decoration for bravery in combat, for his actions. But years later, his former commanding officer, retired Gen. Glenn Otis, and other combat veterans pushed for more, Biden recalled.
Birdwell took action as North Vietnamese forces launched the opening assault of what would become known as the Tet Offensive, marked by coordinated attacks across Vietnam against American troops, South Vietnamese soldiers and their allies. Birdwell’s unit was called upon to repel an attack on a major military installation, Tan Son Nhut Air Base, and was ambushed en route.
Biden recalled how Birdwell’s unit bore the brunt of the attack and that Birdwell assumed command after his tank commander was badly wounded, opening suppressive fire as North Vietnamese soldiers fired on him.
“He’s using the tank’s gun, he’s using the tank’s machine gun, he’s using his personal rifle,” Biden said. “He maintained fire, drove off attackers and created a place of relative safety for wounded men behind the tank to take cover.”
Birdwell was hit by shrapnel but continued to fight. He was eventually ordered into a helicopter to evacuate, but he crawled out the opposite side of the plane and returned to the fight.
“That’s what you call taking orders and causing trouble,” Biden said. “God loves you.”
Birdwell continued his career in law and served on the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court, Biden said.
Duffy earned his award during the fire support battle for Charlie, when he was the only American serving on a base with South Vietnamese soldiers. He had been wounded twice in previous battles but refused to be evacuated, Biden said.
Operating under the call sign Cyanide Dust, Duffy coordinated airstrikes under fire for hours on April 14, 1972, as enemy forces threatened to overrun their base. At one point, Biden recalled, he called for an “extremely close” strike on his own position to repel the advancing forces.
Duffy stayed with wounded soldiers at the base until the next day, keeping them moving as they were pursued by Viet Cong fighters. Duffy was the last to board the helicopter and grabbed a Vietnamese ally who was falling from the plane after being shot, Biden said.
Duffy retired from the Army in 1977 and was later nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for poetry — “the definition of a warrior poet,” Biden said.
Fuji received the award for his actions on February 18, 1971, during a rescue operation in Laos that went out of control after his helicopter came under fire and crashed. A second helicopter landed a few minutes later and took out several other soldiers, but Fujii waved him off, fearing it was too dangerous to hold the plane in place.
Biden recalled that Fuji stayed and treated wounded Vietnamese allies in the field. The next night they came under renewed attack, and Fuji repeatedly withstood enemy fire to coordinate airstrikes over the next 17 hours.
“Today, Specialist 5 Fujii, we remember and celebrate how many people you helped,” Biden said.
The fourth Medal of Honor is a recognition of Kaneshiro, who was raised in Hawaii by parents who were Japanese immigrants, Biden said.
On December 1, 1966, his infantry unit was ambushed by North Vietnamese troops who were hidden in a village and protected by fortified bunkers, underground tunnels and a large trench. Other American soldiers were killed, and Kaneshiro stormed the trench while carrying his M16 rifle and six grenades, Biden said.
“Lying on the ground, Sergeant Kaneshiro threw his first grenade,” Biden said. “It flew directly through the bunker opening, destroying the machine gun on the first throw.”
Kaneshiro moved along the trench for 35 meters, killing other enemy soldiers as he went and preventing what could have been “a disaster for the entire platoon,” Biden recalled. He was killed in action on March 6, 1967, about three months later.
“I hope you take pride and comfort today in knowing that his valor is finally receiving the full recognition it always deserved,” Biden told the Kaneshiro family.
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