Then Spec. 5 Dwight W. Birdwell took action as North Vietnamese forces launched the opening assault of what would come to be known as the Tet Offensive, marked by coordinated attacks across Vietnam on U.S. troops, South Vietnamese soldiers and their allies. Birdwell’s unit was called on to repel an attack on a major military installation, Tan Son Nhut Air Base, and was ambushed on the way. Birdwell took charge after his tank commander was gravely wounded, laying down suppressive fire as North Vietnamese soldiers shot at him. Birdwell was hit by shrapnel but kept fighting. Eventually, he was ordered to board a helicopter to evacuate, but he crawled out the opposite side of the aircraft and went back to fighting.
Congressional Medal of Honor Society
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Dennis M. Fujii
Vietnam War
1971 - Laos & Vietnam
Drew D. Dix
Vietnam War
1968 - Chau Doc Province, Republic of Vietnam
Michael J. Fitzmaurice
Vietnam War
1971 - Khesanh, Republic of Vietnam
Britt K. Slabinski
War on Terrorism (Afghanistan)
2002 - Takur Ghar, Afghanistan
Harold A. Fritz
Vietnam War
1969 - near An Loc, Binh Long Province, Republic of Vietnam
Robert R. Ingram
Vietnam War
1966 - Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam