Biden To Award Medal Of Honor To 4 Vietnam War Veterans

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden will award the Medal of Honor to four U.S. Army Soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War.

First Lady Jill Biden will attend the ceremony, to be held at the White House at 11:15 AM.

The nation’s highest military award for bravery, the Medal of Honor is awarded by the President in the name of Congress. For this reason, it is often referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor. Since it was first presented in 1863, the medal has been awarded to 3,493 recipients.

Staff Sergeant Edward N. Kaneshiro will be honored posthumously. Specialist Five Dwight W. Birdwell, Specialist Five Dennis M. Fujii, and retired Major John J. Duffy are the other receipients of the Medal of Honor.

Kaneshiro will be recognized for acts of gallantry and intrepidity displayed while serving as an infantry squad leader with Troop C, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, in Vietnam’s Kim Son Valley on December 1, 1966.

Kaneshiro and his team entered the village of Phu Huu 2 while on a search and destroy mission and were attacked by North Vietnamese. The Staff Sergeant destroyed one enemy group with rifle fire and two others with grenades, which enabled the platoon to a successful withdrawal from the village. He served in Vietnam until his death on March 6, 1967, falling victim to enemy’s gunshot.

Dwight W. Birdwell will receive the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity while serving with Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division, in Vietnam.

on January 31, 1968, Birdwell’s tank commander was seriously injured in an attack. Under heavy enemy small-arms fire, Birdwell moved the tank commander to safety and fired the tank’s weapons at the enemy force. Afterwards, he dismounted and continued fighting until receiving enemy fire to his face and torso. He refused evacuation and led a small group of defenders to disrupt the enemy assault until reinforcements arrived. He then aided in evacuating the wounded until he was ordered to seek attention for his own wounds. He currently practices law in Oklahoma City.

Dennis M. Fujii will receive the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity while serving as crew chief aboard a helicopter ambulance during rescue operations in Laos and Vietnam during February 18 – 22, 1971.

During a mission to evacuate seriously wounded Vietnamese military personnel, Specialist Five Fujii’s medevac helicopter took on enemy fire and was forced to crash land. Although injured, he repeatedly exposed himself to hostile fire more than 17 hours while observing enemy troop positions and to direct air strikes against them until an American helicopter airlifted him from the area. Upon completion of his tour, he joined the Army Reserve and today resides in Hawaii.

Major John J. Duffy will receive the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity while serving as the senior advisor to the 11th Airborne Battalion of the Vietnam army in April 1972. He retired from the Army on May 31, 1977, and currently lives in Santa Cruz, California.

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