Vietnam War Medals of Honor: Above and Beyond the Call

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The medal features neither gold nor pearl. It is not inset with any glittering precious stones. But the American Medal of Honor is one of the rarest decorations awarded by any nation.

The Medal of Honor can be awarded to any officer or enlisted person who has ‘distinguished himself [herself] conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his [her] life above and beyond the call of duty.’ The medal is presented ‘in the name of Congress’–hence the frequent erroneous reference to it as the Congressional Medal. To date, 4,121 Medals of Honor have been authorized, with U.S. Army personnel receiving the majority (the most recent on January 21, 1998, to a World War II hero).

The present Navy/Marine Corps Medal of Honor is little changed from the original design of Civil War days. The Army’s award, by contrast, has gone through two design changes. The present Army award–also used by the Air Force until 1965–consists of a bronze star surrounded by a green laurel wreath suspended from a bronze bar on which is inscribed the word ‘Valor’ surmounted by an eagle. In the center of the star, the head of Minerva, Roman goddess of righteous war and wisdom, is surrounded by the words ‘United States of America.’ There is a green oak leaf on each ray of the star. The back of the medal is engraved with the words ‘The Congress to [name of the recipient].’

In 1965 the Air Force announced its own Medal of Honor design, according to Edward F. Murphy of the Medal of Honor Historical Society. ‘The five-pointed star was retained, as was the green-enameled wreath and the oak-leaf-filled prongs. The main change was the replacing of Minerva with the head of the Statue of Liberty, looking now to the viewer’s left instead of right, as had Minerva. The eagle was gone, too. In its place a bar bearing the word ‘Valor’ was placed above an adaptation of the thunderbolt sprays from the Air Force’s coat of arms. The medal is about 50 percent larger than its Army and Navy counterparts.’

Since a Medal of Honor recipient has to have acted with outstanding bravery, the Defense Department painstakingly scrutinizes all available evidence before picking its heroes. The process begins when a witness to an act of heroism recommends an individual for the award. The case then works its way up through the Defense Department hierarchy. The award is ultimately approved by the president before it is presented.

In President Theodore Roosevelt’s day, he stipulated that presentation of the Medal of Honor should take place at a formal ceremony. Since that time, most have been placed around the neck of the recipient or the nearest living relative if it is a posthumous award (and most are), by the president.

The conflict that raged in Southeast Asia produced more than its share of heroes. In all, 239 persons who served in Vietnam received the Medal of Honor, beginning with U.S. Army Captain Roger Hugh C. Donlon for his conspicuous gallantry in defending Camp Nam Dong on July 6, 1964. Here are some of the other Medal of Honor recipients as described in the official Congressional citations:

JIMMY G. STEWART

Staff Sergeant Jimmy G. Stewart was a member of the U.S. Army’s Company B, 2nd Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. Early on the morning of May 18, 1966, a reinforced North Vietnamese company attacked Company B, which was manning a defensive perimeter.

The onslaught wounded five members of a six-man squad, leaving Sergeant Stewart alone to defend vital terrain. It became virtually a battle of one man against an entire platoon. Refusing to take advantage of a lull in the fighting that would have allowed him to withdraw, Stewart held his ground to protect his five fallen comrades and prevent the enemy from breaking through the company’s perimeter.

The enemy attacked his lone position with full force, and Stewart fought like a man possessed. He emptied magazine cartridge after cartridge at the enemy. The NVA drove almost to his position and threw grenades, which Sergeant Stewart threw back at them.

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Tags: 20th - 21st Century, Historical Conflicts, People, Vietnam War

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