Congressional Medal of Honor Society

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Vietnam War - U.S. Army

Gordon Douglas Yntema

Details
  • Rank: Sergeant
  • Conflict/Era: Vietnam War
  • Unit/Command:
    Detachment A-431, Company D, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne),
    1st Special Forces
  • Military Service Branch: U.S. Army
  • Medal of Honor Action Date: January 16 - 18, 1968
  • Medal of Honor Action Place: near Thong Binh, Republic of Vietnam
Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Yntema, U.S. Army, distinguished himself while assigned to Detachment A-431, Company D. As part of a larger force of civilian irregulars from Camp Cai Cai, he accompanied two platoons to a blocking position east of the village of Thong Binh, where they became heavily engaged in a small-arms firefight with the Viet Cong. Assuming control of the force when the Vietnamese commander was seriously wounded, he advanced his troops to within 50 meters of the enemy bunkers. After a fierce 30-minute firefight, the enemy forced Sgt. Yntema to withdraw his men to a trench in order to afford them protection and still perform their assigned blocking mission. Under cover of machine-gun fire, approximately one company of Viet Cong maneuvered into a position which pinned down the friendly platoons from three sides. A dwindling ammunition supply, coupled with a Viet Cong mortar barrage which inflicted heavy losses on the exposed friendly troops, caused many of the irregulars to withdraw. Seriously wounded and ordered to withdraw himself, Sgt. Yntema refused to leave his fallen comrades. Under withering small-arms and machine-gun fire, he carried the wounded Vietnamese commander and a mortally wounded American Special Forces adviser to a small gully 50 meters away in order to shield them from the enemy fire. Sgt. Yntema then continued to repulse the attacking Viet Cong attempting to overrun his position until, out of ammunition and surrounded, he was offered the opportunity to surrender. Refusing, Sgt. Yntema stood his ground, using his rifle as a club to fight the approximately 15 Viet Cong attempting his capture. His resistance was so fierce that the Viet Cong were forced to shoot in order to overcome him. Sgt. Yntema's personal bravery in the face of insurmountable odds and supreme self-sacrifice were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect the utmost credit upon himself, the 1st Special Forces, and the U.S. Army.
Medal of Honor Recipient Gordon D. Yntema
Medal of Honor Recipient Gordon D. Yntema
Additional Details
  • Accredited to: Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
  • Awarded Posthumously: Yes
  • Presentation Date & Details: November 18, 1969
    The White House, presented by Vice Pres. Spiro T. Agnew to his widow, Peggy Yntema Fischrupp
  • Born: June 26, 1945, Bethesda, Montgomery County, MD, United States
  • Died: January 18, 1968, Republic of Vietnam
  • Buried: Pilgrim Home Cemetery (MH) (2-B-65-8), Holland, MI, United States
 

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