This past month, on January 3, 2025, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. awarded two Vietnam War veterans the Medal of Honor, in addition to five veterans of the Korean War. While Specialist Fourth Class Kenneth J. David, U.S. Army, received the Medal in person, Captain Hugh R. Nelson Jr., U.S. Army, was awarded posthumously. Both SPC4 David and CPT Nelson Jr.’s awards were upgraded from the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army’s second highest decoration for valor in combat.

On June 5, 1966, near Moc Hoa, Binh Dinh Province, Republic of Vietnam, CPT Nelson Jr. sacrificed himself for his fellow three aircrew. While commanding a search and destroy reconnaissance mission with the 114th Aviation Company (Airmobile Light), 13th Aviation Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade, U.S. Army Vietnam, the Huey helicopter he was in charge of was downed by volleys of small arms fire, which severely limited the crew’s ability to land the aircraft safely. Upon crashing, with the enemy pouring fire onto the disabled, grounded helicopter from roughly ten yards away, CPT Nelson Jr. repeatedly shielded his crew with his own body while freeing them from the mangled helicopter and being wounded on a series of occasions. At that point, with the aircraft’s weapons inoperable, the trapped crew were all but defenseless. By CPT Nelson Jr.’s last full measure of devotion, he gave his life by covering a wounded crewmember with his body, thereby permitting the wounded crewmember the chance to direct patrolling aircraft to their aid and rescue by use of a smoke grenade. Undoubtedly, Nelson Jr.’s three fellow crew were ultimately saved by his lack of hesitation and selfless courage.

On May 7, 1970, in the vicinity of Fire Support Base Maureen, Thua Thien Province, Republic of Vietnam, SPC4 David (then a Private First Class) waged a series of disorienting and disruptive suppressive fires against a large enemy assault on Company D, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Given the immediate casualties inflicted on many in the company, SPC4 David instinctively delegated his radio duties to his sergeant and rushed to the defensive lines surrounding their position. Understanding that the enemy was attempting to annihilate the wounded at the heart of their perimeter, SPC4 David traversed beyond the perimeter in an attempt to attract the enemy’s focus on him, requiring him to continually shift positions and yell for attention—eventually being wounded by enemy explosives, fighting back directly with hand grenades while being nearly depleted of ammunition. Despite his wounds and the arrival of reinforcements, he continued to pour suppressing fire to aid the insertion of medevac helicopters, which ensured the extraction of the wounded. Even then, SPC4 David continued to fight until the enemy withdrew their attack. Undoubtedly, SPC4 David’s courageous, selfless actions led to the rescue of numerous comrades and the denial of the enemy’s objective. 

In receiving the Medal of Honor, CPT Nelson Jr. became the first graduate, and third cadet from The Citadel to receive the award, and together, SPC4 David and CPT Nelson Jr. were inducted into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes on January 4, 2025 by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, and Chief of Staff of the Army General Randy A. George. CPT Nelson Jr., who was 28 when he sacrificed himself, served faithfully, in the footsteps of his father who had served prior in the U.S. Army Air Corps. SPC4 David, who entered into military service as a draftee, has spent much of the decades since his Vietnam War service actively serving the veterans community in his local Ohio area through the Disabled American Veterans organization. Although SPC4 David found civilian life difficult following his discharge in 1971 and overcame challenges in the following decades due to the impact of his experiences, felt he had no regrets in accepting being drafted and in choosing to make his valorous stand to save his comrades. The recent upgrade of these two selfless soldiers’ combat decorations is further evidence of the depth of sacrifice, valor, and courage yet to be told about U.S. service members in the Vietnam War. The National Vietnam War Museum looks forward to continuing to shed light on the overlooked and untold narratives of this most complicated war.

Article by ,
Ryan Sisak, Vice President, Board of Directors, & Historian