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President Biden awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration, to seven US Army veterans for their heroism during the Korean and Vietnam wars at the White House on Friday.
Private Bruno Orig, Private 1st Class Wataru Nakamura, Corporal Fred McGee, Private 1st Class Charles Johnson, Retired General Richard Cavazos, Captain Hugh Nelson, Jr. and Specialist Fourth Class Kenneth David were all honored.
“These are genuine to their core heroes. Heroes of different ranks, different positions and even different generations. But heroes who went above and beyond the call of duty. Heroes who deserve our nation’s highest and oldest military recognition ” Biden said. .
Five of the recipients died in battle, including Capt. Hugh Nelson Jr., who is the first graduate of South Carolina’s Citadel Military College to receive the Medal of Honor. Nelson previously received the award US Army Distinguished Service Cross.
President Joe Biden presents the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration, to then-Private First Class Kenneth J. David, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 . (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Capt. Nelson, 28, served as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War under the 114th Air Mobile Light Aviation Company. On the fateful day of June 5, 1966, near Moc Hoa, a rural district in southern Vietnam, Nelson was the acting commander of the aircraft on a search-and-destroy reconnaissance mission. The armed UH-1B Huey helicopter he was flying was hit by hostile gunfire that rendered the aircraft virtually uncontrollable. Captain Nelson and his co-pilot were able to land the aircraft without side controls.
But they crashed right in the middle of the enemy positions. The crash destroyed all the weapons on board. Nelson was the first of his crew to regain consciousness. He quickly saw the enemy surrounding the crash site. Ignoring his own injuries and enemy fire from 30 feet away, Nelson sprung into action and began evacuating his three wounded crewmates: the crew chief, the door gunner, and the copilot. The crew chief was trapped in the cargo bay and the door handle was trapped in the Huey. With his bare hands, Nelson tore open one of the helicopter’s doors to evacuate himself and his crew as insurgents fired live ammunition from 30 feet away. Nelson used his own body as a human shield as he lifted the doorknob to the floor and died of gunshot wounds after being shot between six and 20 times while doing so.
Captain Hugh Nelson is the first graduate of The Citadel to receive the award. (US Army)
Due to Nelson’s sacrifice, the wounded specialist was able to signal his support with a smoke grenade. Sthe support aircraft responded immediately, preventing the insurgents from advancing on the downed aircraft and successfully rescued the three wounded crew members and the remains of Captain Nelson.
Nelson’s daughter, Debra McKnight, accepted the award on her father’s behalf White House ceremony. She was only 5 years old and her younger brother, Hugh Nelson III, was 6 months old when their father left for Fort Bragg, now Fort Liberty, to begin his tour in Vietnam. The Army notified Nelson’s family that he was killed in battle just one day before their youngest son’s first birthday.
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“Nelson’s conscious decision to sacrifice his own life for that of his comrades saved the lives of his three crewmates on that fateful day,” reads his Medal of Honor citation. “Nelson’s distinguished achievements are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the United States Army.”
Captain Nelson graduated from The Citadel in 1959. He served three years before the fateful battle. in Taiwan. His co-captain who was rescued was Captain Bailey Jones. Jones also graduated from the Citadel, in the class of 1964.
Senior Army ROTC Cadet at the Citadel, Tomas Fitzpatrick, attended Friday’s ceremony.
Nelson’s daughter, Debra McKnight, accepted the award on her father’s behalf at the White House ceremony. (swimming pool)
“Captain Hugh Nelson’s sacrifice is a powerful reminder of the values we stand for at The Citadel: honor, duty and respect. As someone who plans to enlist in the US Army after graduation, we all strive to lead with the same courage and commitment,” Fitzpatrick said. Fitzpatrick will join the Army infantry after graduation in May. The Citadel’s Army ROTC department is one of the largest commissioning sources in the country. 120 army lieutenants were commissioned in 2024 alone.
“Captain Hugh Reavis Nelson, Jr. exemplified the highest values of courage, selflessness and leadership that we instill in all cadets at the Citadel. Nelson’s service to his comrades and country remains an enduring inspiration to all” , said General Glenn Walters, president of the Citadel. a statement
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“To learn these stories of the Americans like Bruno and Wataru, and Fred, and Charlie, Richard, Hugh, Ken, Americans who have not only fought for our nation, but embodied the best our nation has to offer. Let me also tell you that today we are awarding these people a medal of honor. We cannot stop here because as a nation, it is up to us to give meaning to this medal, to keep fighting, to keep fighting for each other, for each other, to keep defending everything that these heroes fought for and for many of they died ,” Biden said.
