Remarks Upon Presenting the Medal of Honor to Five Members of the United States Army

Secretary Resor, General Westmoreland, distinguished Members of the Congress, distinguished guests and members of the families:

Our hearts and our hopes are turned to peace as we assemble here in the East Room this morning. All of our efforts are being bent in its pursuit.

But in this company we hear again, in our minds, the sound of distant battles. This room echoes once more to those words that describe the heights of bravery in war: "above and beyond the call of duty."

Five heroic sons of America come to us today from the tortured fields of Vietnam. They come to remind us that so long as that conflict continues, our purpose and our hopes rest on the steadfast bravery of young men in battle.

These five soldiers, in their separate moments of supreme testing, summoned a degree of courage that stirs wonder and respect and an overpowering pride in all of us.

Through their spectacular courage, they set themselves apart in a very select company. They represent the contribution of more than half a million young Americans to a world of order and of peace.

Other bitter days, and other battles, still lie ahead. I cannot emphasize strongly enough that we have not attained peace--only the Possibility of peace. We shall need in the days ahead all the courage, all the steadiness, and all the wisdom that the brilliant commander of these men, General Westmoreland, has evidenced throughout this terrible ordeal and that these men bring evidence of here today.

Other brave men will be called upon to perform other brave acts, before the search for peace yields a settlement at the conference table. But men like these have brought us the distance that we have traveled. And men like these will see us the rest of the way.

Freedom will be forever in their debt. And finally, that prize for which all the world hungers will be their monument--the work of heroes who stood fast, when standing fast was really the only true way to a lasting and to an honorable peace.
Secretary Resor will now read the citations.

[Secretary of the Army Stanley R. Resor read the five citations, the texts of which follow.]

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of The Congress the Medal of Honor to

CHAPLAIN (CAPTAIN) ANGELO J. LITEKY
UNITED STATES ARMY

for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Chaplain (Captain) Angelo J. Liteky distinguished himself by exceptional heroism on 6 December 1967, while serving with Company A, 4th Battalion, 12th Infantry, 199th Light Infantry Brigade. He was participating in a search and destroy operation near Phuoc-Lac, Bien Hoa Province, in the Republic of Vietnam, when Company A came under intense fire from a battalion size enemy force. Momentarily stunned from the immediate encounter that ensued, the men hugged the ground for cover. Observing two wounded men, Chaplain Liteky moved to within fifteen meters of an enemy machine gun position to reach them, placing himself between the enemy and the wounded men. When there was a brief respite in the fighting, he managed to drag them to the relative safety of the landing zone. Inspired by his courageous actions, the company rallied and began placing a heavy volume of fire upon the enemy's positions. In a magnificent display of courage and leadership, Chaplain Liteky began moving upright through the enemy fire, administering last rites to the dying and evacuating the wounded. Noticing another trapped and seriously wounded man, Captain Liteky crawled to his aid. Realizing that the wounded man was too heavy to carry, he rolled on his back, placed the man on his chest and through sheer determination and fortitude crawled back to the landing zone using his elbows and heels to push himself along. Pausing for breath momentarily, he returned to the action and came upon a man entangled in the dense, thorny underbrush. Once more intense enemy fire was directed at him, but Chaplain Liteky stood his ground and calmly broke the vines and carried the man to the landing zone for evacuation. On several occasions when the landing zone was under small arms and rocket fire, Chaplain Liteky stood up in the face of hostile fire and personally directed the medevac helicopters into and out of the area. With the wounded safely evacuated, Chaplain Liteky returned to the perimeter, constantly encouraging and inspiring the men. Upon the unit's relief on the morning of 7 December 1967, it was discovered that despite painful wounds in the neck and foot, Chaplain Liteky had personally carried over twenty men to the landing zone for evacuation during the savage fighting. Through his indomitable inspiration and heroic actions, Chaplain Liteky saved the lives of a number of his comrades and enabled the company to repulse the enemy. Chaplain Liteky's actions reflect great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of The Congress the Medal of Honor to

CAPTAIN JAMES A. TAYLOR
UNITED STATES ARMY

for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Captain James A. Taylor (then First Lieutenant), Armor, was serving as Executive Officer of Troop B, 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry, on 9 November 1967 in the Republic of Vietnam. His troop was engaged in an attack on a fortified position west of Que Son when it came under intense enemy recoilless rifle, mortar, and automatic weapons fire from an enemy strong point located immediately to its front. One armored cavalry assault vehicle was hit immediately by recoilless rifle fire and all five crew members were wounded. Aware that the stricken vehicle was in grave danger of exploding, Captain Taylor rushed forward and personally extracted the wounded to safety despite the hail of enemy fire and exploding ammunition. Within minutes a second armored cavalry assault vehicle was hit by multiple recoilless rifle rounds. Despite the continuing intense enemy fire, Captain Taylor moved forward on foot to rescue the wounded men from the burning vehicle and personally removed all the crewmen to the safety of a nearby dike. Moments later the vehicle exploded. As he was returning to his vehicle, a bursting mortar round painfully wounded Captain Taylor, yet he valiantly returned to his vehicle to relocate the medical evacuation landing zone to an area closer to the front lines. As he was moving his vehicle, it came under machine gun fire from an enemy position not fifty yards away. Captain Taylor engaged the position with his own machine gun, killing the three man crew. Upon arrival at the new evacuation site, still another vehicle was struck. Once again Captain Taylor rushed forward and pulled the wounded from the vehicle, loaded them aboard his vehicle, and returned them safely to the evacuation site. His actions of unsurpassed valor were a source of inspiration to his entire troop, contributed significantly to the success of the overall assault on the enemy position, and were directly responsible for saving the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military profession and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of The Congress the Medal of Honor to

SERGEANT SAMMY L. DAVIS
UNITED STATES ARMY

for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Sergeant Sammy L. Davis (then Private First Class) distinguished himself during the early morning hours of 18 November 1967 while serving as a cannoneer with Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 4th Artillery, 9th Infantry Division, at a remote fire support base west of Cai Lay, Republic of Vietnam. At approximately 0200 hours, the fire support base came under heavy enemy mortar attack. Simultaneously, an estimated reinforced Viet Cong battalion launched a fierce ground assault upon the fire support base. The attacking enemy drove to within twenty-five meters of the friendly positions. Only a river separated the Viet Cong from the fire support base. Detecting a nearby enemy position, Sergeant Davis seized a machine gun and provided covering fire for his gun crew, as they attempted to bring direct artillery fire on the enemy. Despite his efforts, an enemy recoilless rifle round scored a direct hit upon the artillery piece. The resultant blast hurled the gun crew from their weapon and blew Sergeant Davis into a foxhole. He struggled to his feet and returned to the howitzer, which was burning furiously. Ignoring repeated warnings to seek cover, Sergeant Davis rammed a shell into the gun. Disregarding a withering hail of enemy fire directed against his position, he aimed and fired the howitzer which rolled backward, knocking Sergeant Davis violently to the ground. Undaunted, he returned to the weapon to fire again when an enemy mortar round exploded within twenty meters of his position, injuring him painfully. Nevertheless, Sergeant Davis loaded the artillery piece, aimed and fired. Again he was knocked down by the recoil. In complete disregard for his own safety, Sergeant Davis loaded and fired three more shells into the enemy. Disregarding his extensive injuries and his inability to swim, Sergeant Davis picked up an air mattress and struck out across the deep river to rescue three wounded comrades on the far side. Upon reaching the three wounded men, he stood upright and fired into the dense vegetation to prevent the Viet Cong from advancing. While the most seriously wounded soldier was helped across the river, Sergeant Davis protected the two remaining casualties until he could pull them across the river to the fire support base. Though suffering from painful wounds, he refused medical attention, joining another howitzer crew which fired at the large Viet Cong force until it broke contact and fled. Sergeant Davis' conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the risk of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of The Congress the Medal of Honor to

SPECIALIST FIVE DWIGHT H. JOHNSON
UNITED STATES ARMY

for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Specialist Five Dwight H. Johnson distinguished himself by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 15 January 1968 near Dak To, Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam. On that date, Specialist Johnson, a tank driver with Company B, 1st Battalion, 69th Armor, 4th Infantry Division, was a member of a reaction force moving to aid other elements of his platoon, which was in heavy contact with a battalion size North Vietnamese force. Specialist Johnson's tank, upon reaching the point of contact, threw a track and became immobilized. Realizing that he could do no more as a driver, he climbed out of the vehicle, armed only with a .45 caliber pistol. Despite intense hostile fire, Specialist Johnson killed several enemy soldiers before he had expended his ammunition. Returning to his tank through a heavy volume of anti-tank rocket, small arms and automatic weapons fire, he obtained a submachine gun with which to continue his fight against the advancing enemy. Armed with this weapon, Specialist Johnson again braved deadly enemy fire to return to the center of the ambush site where he courageously eliminated more of the determined foe. Engaged in extremely close combat when the last of his ammunition was expended, he killed an enemy soldier with the stock end of his submachine gun. Now weaponless, Specialist Johnson ignored the enemy fire around him, climbed into his platoon sergeant's tank, extricated a wounded crew member and carried him to an armored personnel carrier. He then returned to the same tank and assisted in firing the main gun until it jammed. In a magnificent display of courage, Specialist Johnson exited the tank and again armed only with a .45 caliber pistol, engaged several North Vietnamese troops in close proximity to the vehicle. Fighting his way through devastating fire and remounting his own immobilized tank, he remained fully exposed to the enemy as he bravely and skillfully engaged them with the tank's externally-mounted .50 caliber machine gun, where he remained until the situation was brought under control. Special 1ST Johnson's profound concern for his fellow soldiers, his conspicuous gallantry, and his intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of The Congress the Medal of Honor to

SPECIALIST FOUR GARY G. WETZEL
UNITED STATES ARMY

for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Specialist Four Gary G. Wetzel (then Private First Class), 173d Assault Helicopter Company, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, near Ap Dong An in the Republic of Vietnam. On 8 January 1968, Specialist Wetzel was serving as door gunner aboard a helicopter which was part of an insertion force trapped in a landing zone by intense and deadly hostile fire. Specialist Wetzel was going to the aid of his aircraft commander when he was blown into a rice paddy and critically wounded by two enemy rockets that exploded just inches from his location. Although bleeding profusely due to the loss of his left arm and severe wounds in his right arm, chest, and left leg, Specialist Wetzel staggered back to his original position in his gun-well and took the enemy forces under fire. His machine gun was the only weapon placing effective fire on the enemy at that time. Through a resolve that overcame the shock and intolerable pain of his injuries, Specialist Wetzel remained at his position until he had eliminated the automatic weapons emplacement that had been inflicting heavy casualties on the American troops and preventing them from moving against this strong enemy force. Refusing to attend his own extensive wounds, he attempted to return to the aid of his aircraft commander but passed out from loss of blood. Regaining consciousness, he persisted in his efforts to drag himself to the aid of his fellow crewman. After an agonizing effort, he came to the side of the crew chief who was attempting to drag the wounded aircraft commander to the safety of a near-by dike. Unswerving in his devotion to his fellowman, Specialist Wetzel assisted his crew chief even though he lost consciousness once again during this action. Specialist Wetzel displayed extraordinary heroism and intrepidity at the risk of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, in his efforts to aid his fellow crewmen. His gallant actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the armed forces of his country.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

[At this point the President presented the medals. He then resumed speaking.]

Someone said some time ago, "How many of these things has the President awarded?" That caused me to reflect a little bit about "these things"--these Medals of Honor.

There are some 4 1/2 million people that make up the defense of this country--military and civilian. And in the history of the Congressional Medal of Honor, there have been something like a little over 3,000 awarded. This President has awarded, I believe, less than 30. Out of 200 million Americans, I have awarded only 30 Congressional Medals of Honor.

And to these modest men who never thought that they would be here any more than I ever thought I would be where I am, I want to remind you of what another President said upon another occasion: That I would rather be able to have that blue band around my neck with the Congressional Medal of Honor than to be the President of the United States.

That is an honor that is not accorded to the President. Although he occupies the honored position formerly held by Black lack Pershing and formerly held by George Marshall, General Westmoreland, their brilliant commander, cannot wear that blue ribbon. It goes to a very select and special group of men. And you are a part of that group.

So, to you and your families, and on behalf of all the people of this country and the free world whom you have sought to protect and whose freedom you have tried to insure, I say we thank you and we are grateful to you.

And we are proud of the honor that the Congress has authorized to be conferred upon you.

I hope, and I believe, that your efforts will not have been in vain. And as long as Americans love their liberty and revere their freedom, they will owe a very special debt to you men who wear that blue ribbon.

For your families we will have a little reception line. I hope to be able to thank each of you who have gone through this with them too.

Thank you very much.