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Today, we honored 3 American hero's with the highest honor anyone in our military can attain, The Medal Of Honor.
Command Sergeant Major Bennie G. Adkins, Intelligence Officer, Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces, Viet-Nam. He served 3 different terms in Vietnam, and I knew this man personally, worked directly with him on some 8 missions there. We have remained great friends for over 4 - 1/2 decades. He doesn't speak much about the incident, but the citation is just below,
Command Sergeant Major Bennie G. Adkins distinguished himself during 38 hours of close-combat fighting against enemy forces on March 9 to 12, 1966. At that time, then-Sergeant First Class Adkins was serving as an Intelligence Sergeant with Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces at Camp "A Shau", in the Republic of Vietnam.
When Camp A Shau was attacked by a large North Vietnamese force in the early morning hours of March 9th, Sergeant First Class Adkins rushed through intense enemy fire and manned a mortar position defending the camp. He continued to mount a defense even while incurring wounds from several direct hits from enemy mortars. Upon learning that several soldiers were wounded near the center of camp, he temporarily turned the mortar over to another soldier, ran through exploding mortar rounds and dragged several comrades to safety. As the hostile fire subsided, Adkins exposed himself to sporadic sniper fire and carried his wounded comrades to a more secure position at the camp dispensary.
Sergeant First Class Adkins exposed himself to enemy fire transporting a wounded casualty to an airstrip for evacuation. He and his group then came under heavy small arms fire from members of the Civilian Irregular Defense Group that had defected to fight with the North Vietnamese. Despite this overwhelming force, Adkins maneuvered outside the camp to evacuate a seriously wounded American and draw fire away from the aircraft all the while successfully covering the rescue. Later, when a resupply air drop landed outside of the camp perimeter, Adkins again moved outside of the camp walls to retrieve the much needed supplies.
During the early morning hours of March 10th, enemy forces launched their main assault. Within two hours, Sergeant First Class Adkins was the only defender firing a mortar weapon. When all mortar rounds were expended, Adkins began placing effective rifle fire upon enemy as they infiltrated the camp perimeter and assaulted his position. Despite receiving additional wounds from enemy rounds exploding on his position, Adkins fought off relentless waves of attacking North Vietnamese soldiers.
Adkins then withdrew to regroup with a smaller element of soldiers at the communications bunker. While there, he single-handedly eliminated numerous insurgents with small arms fire, almost completely exhausting his supply of ammunition. Braving intense enemy fire, he returned to the mortar pit, gathered vital ammunition and evaded fire while returning to the bunker. After the order was given to evacuate the camp, Sergeant First Class Adkins and a small group of soldiers destroyed all signal equipment and classified documents, dug their way out of the rear of the bunker, and fought their way out of the camp.
Because of his efforts to carry a wounded soldier to an extraction point and leave no one behind, Sergeant First Class Adkins and his group were unable to reach the last evacuation helicopter. Adkins then rallied the remaining survivors and led the group into the jungle - evading the enemy for 48 hours until they were rescued by helicopter on March 12th. During the 38-hour battle and 48-hours of escape and evasion, Adkins fought with mortars, machine guns, recoilless rifles, small arms, and hand grenades, killing an estimated 135 - 175 of the enemy and sustaining 18 different wounds. Sergeant First Class Adkins' extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces and the United States Army.
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Specialist Four Donald Sloat, (Awarded posthumously) Company D, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, stationed in the A-Shau Valley during combat operations in the vicinity of Hawk Hill Fire Base, Republic of Vietnam, on January 17, 1970. I did not know this man personally, but, we heard of his sacrifice, and utter heroism. This hero took a grenade hit, by holding the grenade in his hand and bending in half with the grenade in his stomach area, because he was completely surrounded by his own squad members, and could not throw the grenade away without injuring/killing them. By doing so, he saved his fellow hero's lives.
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And, here is an interesting thing,
First Lieutenant Alonzo H. Cushing will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions while serving as commanding officer of Battery A, 4th United States Artillery, Artillery Brigade, 2nd Corps, Army of the Potomac. Cushing distinguished himself during combat operations against an armed enemy in the vicinity of Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 3, 1863.
First Lieutenant Cushing graduated, and was commissioned, from the United States Military Academy at West Point in the class of June 1861. Born in what is now Delafield, Wisconsin, he was raised in Fredonia, New York.
First Lieutenant Cushing was killed in action on July 3, 1863, at the age of 22. On that day, the third day of the battle, in the face of Longstreet’s Assault, also known as Pickett’s Charge, First Lieutenant Cushing’s battery took a severe pounding by Confederate artillery. As the rebel infantry advanced, he manned the only remaining, and serviceable, field piece in his battery. During the advance, he was wounded in the stomach as well as in the right shoulder. Refusing to evacuate to the rear despite his severe wounds, he directed the operation of his lone field piece continuing to fire in the face of the enemy. With the rebels within 100 yards of his position, Cushing was shot and killed during this heroic stand. His actions made it possible for the Union Army to successfully repulse the Confederate assault. First Lieutenant Cushing is buried with full honors at his alma mater, West Point.
My Great Grand Father was his Adjutant at that time, and, fought along with Cushing at that battle. My Great Grand Uncle was also an Adjutant, War Department, working for Secretary of War Stanton, same time. My great grand father's notes mention the heroism of Lt. Cushing, and he did relate to President Lincoln the heroism of Cushing. My Great Grand Uncle ran into Lincoln in the War Department a week or so before the Gettysburg Address, and mentioned that his brother was at the battle, wounded, recovered, and asked the President if his brother might accompany Lincoln to the event, November 19, 1863. My Great Grand Father spoke with President Lincoln on the train trip to the event, about Cushing's bravery at the battle. Back then, it was a long process to get a medal approved, and for the then new Congressional Medal of Honor, it took to long after the war ended for almost all recipients to be recognized. It has only taken 151 years for Cushing's recognition as a bona fida hero to come through.
Small world. As with so very many of our citizenry, these were common people, that exhibited uncommon valor. Most are gone, now, but, some still walk among us with humble pride, even today.
I stand, and, salute all of these hero's.
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