The individuals who will receive the medal — the most prestigious decoration in the US military — are Staff Sergeant Edward N. Kaneshiro, Specialist Five Dwight W. Birdwell, Specialist Five Dennis M. Fujii and retired Major John J. Duffy.
In 1966, Kaneshiro and members of his platoon were attacked by North Vietnamese when they entered a village on a search and destroy mission. According to the
White House, “Kaneshiro destroyed one enemy group with rifle fire and two others with grenades, which enabled the orderly extrication and reorganization of the platoon and ultimately led to a successful withdrawal from the village.” Kaneshiro, who was killed in action three months after the incident for which he is being awarded, will receive the award posthumously.
Kaneshiro’s son told CNN that his father’s story inspired his own career in the military.
“Just to imagine … for him to just be selfless and to just jump into the fire like that. It inspired me to … live up to what he has done,” John Kaneshiro said.
Birdwell, a former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court justice, will receive the medal for his actions in January 1968.
At an air base near Saigon on the first day of what would become known as the Tet Offensive, Birdwell and his unit were under assault by North Vietnamese. While under fire, he moved a tank commander to safety and fired the tank’s weapons at enemy forces, according to the White House. When the tank weapons were exhausted, he dismounted and moved to a downed helicopter to retrieve ammunition and machine guns with a comrade. Birdwell’s machine gun exploded when it was struck by enemy rounds,
injuring his face and torso, but he refused to evacuate and led a small group to disrupt the attackers. He then helped evacuate the wounded until ordered to seek attention for his own injuries.
“I did the job that I was trained for. I felt like I had to do this. It was a matter of duty. And I did my duty as best I could,” Birdwell said. “I’ve wondered a thousand times why I survived and some of the others didn’t, but I’ve thought when I go up for judgment, if I have the courage, I’ll ask God that question.”
Fujii will receive the medal for his actions during a helicopter ambulance rescue in Laos and Vietnam across four days in February 1971.
Aboard a helicopter during a mission to evacuate seriously wounded Vietnamese military personnel, the aircraft took on enemy fire and was forced to crash land, according to the White House. As he was injured, Fujii declined rescue from another helicopter and was the only American to remain behind on the battlefield. He repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire, administered first aid to allies and called in US helicopter gunships to repel enemy attacks.
Duffy is receiving the award for his acts in Vietnam in April 1972.
Injured at his battalion’s destroyed command post in South Vietnam, where the battalion commander had been killed, Duffy refused to be evacuated. There, he “led a two-day defense of the surrounded FSB against a battalion-sized enemy force,” according to the US Army. He exposed himself to the enemy to call in airstrikes and was injured again when struck by the fragments of a rifle round. But Duffy stayed, directing helicopter gunships onto enemy anti-aircraft and artillery positions. He then personally ensured that wounded troops were moved to safety and distributed ammunition. And during a ground assault by enemy forces, Duffy moved several times to spot targets. Later, he led more wounded troops to evacuation “while in continual pursuit by the enemy,” the Army
states.
Duffy, who is now 84 years old, was deployed to Vietnam four times, racking up 64 awards and decorations — including 29 for valor, four Bronze Stars, eight Purple Hearts and seven Air Medals.
“You’re honor-bound to do your duty, and it doesn’t matter the risk or the danger. You’re there to perform. And as long as you do that, you’re in control,” Duffy said ahead of being awarded the Medal of Honor.
Tuesday’s ceremony comes a week after the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient, Hershel W. “Woody” Williams, died at the age of 98. Williams will
lie in honor at the US Capitol.
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