WEBVTT

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(trumpets)

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- [Announcer] Ladies and gentlemen,

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the President of the United States

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accompanied by Medal of Honor recipient

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Captain Gary M. Rose, United States Army, retired.

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(dramatic orchestral music)

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- We recall the words of sacred scripture,

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"No one has greater love than this

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than to lay down one's life for one's friends."

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Let us pray.

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Almighty God, source of our faith, our hope, and our love,

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be present with us here, now, on this important occasion

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for our nation as we recognize the extraordinary,

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selfless service of Captain Mike Rose.

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His heroic acts of sacrifice reveal to us

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the true dignity of each and every one of us,

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of all our brothers and sisters.

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May these few moments here today

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and this example of Captain Rose's noble service

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trace for us, for the world, the way of life,

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liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

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May his heroic acts stir within us all

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the sacred desire to serve our nation,

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to serve with honor, and to serve

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with these selfless acts that lead to peace, amen.

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- [All] Amen.

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- Please, thank you.

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Thank you very much, Chaplin Hurley,

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Vice President Pence, Secretary Tillerson,

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and members of congress, members of the armed forces,

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and distinguished guests, please join me

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in welcoming Captain Gary Michael Rose to the White House.

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(applause)

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For many years, the story of Mike's heroism

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has gone untold, but today, we've gathered

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to tell the world of his valor and proudly present him

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with our nation's highest military honor.

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Joining Mike today is his wife, Margaret,

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their three children, Sarah, Claire, and Michael,

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and their two grandchildren, Katelyn and Christian.

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Katelyn and Christian, I want you to know

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that the medal that we will present today

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will forever enshrine your grandfather

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and he is a good man, we just spoke to him for a long time,

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and you are great, great young people,

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but this will enshrine him into the history of our nation.

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We're also grateful to be joined

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by nine previous Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.

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Their courage, character, and conviction

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is beyond measure, please stand.

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(applause)

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We are honored to be in their presence.

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This afternoon, I wanna take a few moments

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to share with you the incredible story

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of Mike's heroic deeds.

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Raised in Watertown, New York,

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Mike's father was a metal worker

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and a World War II veteran.

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He taught his son that we live

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in the greatest country in the world

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and that we must love it, cherish it, and always defend it.

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Mike took that very much to heart.

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After his first year in college he enlisted in the Army

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and by the time he was 22, Mike was a medic

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for the Fifth Special Forces group in the Vietnam War.

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On September 11th, 1970, Mike was called

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on a second combat mission.

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He was the only medic for 136 men

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who embarked on one of the group's biggest missions

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of the war, Operation Tailwind.

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Their goal was to prevent the North Vietnamese

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from funneling weapons all over the Ho Chi Minh trail

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to use against our American troops.

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Helicopters dropped the unit into Laos.

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Before they even touched the ground,

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enemy fire struck three men.

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Once they landed in the clearing,

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they rushed to the jungle for much needed cover.

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Soon another man was shot outside their defensive perimeter.

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Mike immediately rushed to his injured comrade,

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firing at the enemy as he ran.

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In the middle of the clearing, under the machine gun fire,

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Mike treated the wounded soldier.

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He shielded the man with his own body

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and carried him back to safety,

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but this was just the beginning

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of Mike's harrowing four day mission.

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Mike and his unit slashed through the dense jungle,

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dodged bullets, dodged explosives,

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dodged everything that you can dodge,

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because they threw it all at 'em,

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and continuously returned fire

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as they moved deeper and deeper

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and deeper into enemy territory.

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Throughout the engagement, Mike rescued those in distress

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without any thought for his own safety.

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I will tell you, the people with him

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could not believe what they were witnessing.

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He crawled from one soldier to the next,

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offering words of encouragement

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as he tended to their wounds.

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On the second day, one of the allied soldiers

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was shot outside their company perimeter.

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Again, Mike raced to the side of the soldier,

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exposing himself to constant fire.

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As bullets flew in every direction,

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Mike fired at the enemy with one arm,

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while dragging the injured soldier

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back to the perimeter with the other.

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Soon after they returned to the unit,

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a rocket propelled grenade exploded nearby

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and shot smoldering metal into Mike's back

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and into his leg, he was seriously, seriously wounded.

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The shrapnel left a gaping hole in Mike's foot.

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For the next 48 excruciating hours, he used a branch

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as a crutch and went on rescuing the wounded.

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Mike did not stop to eat, to sleep,

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or even to care for his own serious injury,

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as he saved the lives of his fellow soldiers.

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On the second and final night of the mission,

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the enemy surrounded the company.

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All night long, Mike treated the wound

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and dug trenches to protect them

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from blazing rockets and grenades.

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After four days of constant engagement with the enemy

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and after successfully destroying an enemy base camp,

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Mike's unit prepared to evacuate.

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When the helicopters arrived, Mike fought back the enemy

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as his fellow soldiers boarded the aircraft.

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He boarded the last chopper, limping up to the craft

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while still warding off the enemy forces

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that were fast approaching.

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As Mike put it, "If you don't believe in God,

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then you should have been with us that day.

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And I can tell you, it'll make a believer out of you,

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because we should not ever have survived."

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Mike, today, we have a room full of people,

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and a nation who thank God that you lived.

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(applause)

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Mike's story doesn't end there.

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Soon after the helicopter lifted off the ground,

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the chopper was hit by enemy fire.

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Mike, this is serious stuff.
(laughter)

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This was not a good four days.

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(laughter)

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The bullets tragically struck

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a young Marine gunner in the throat.

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Again, Mike rushed to help.

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As he wrapped a cloth around the Marine's neck,

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the engine of the helicopter failed,

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and the aircraft crashed less than a mile

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from where it had taken off.

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Mike was thrown off the aircraft before it hit the ground,

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but he raced back to the crash site

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and pulled one man after another

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out of the smoking and smoldering helicopter

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as it spewed jet fuel from its ruptured tanks.

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Finally, another helicopter rescued them

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and by the time they reached the base,

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Mike was covered in blood.

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He refused treatment until all of

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his men had been cared for first.

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In every action during those four days,

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Mike valiantly fought for the life of his comrades,

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even if it meant the end of his own life.

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Mike, I have to say, you really,

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your will to endure, your love for your fellow soldier,

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your devotion to your country inspires us all.

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I have to tell you, that is something.

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Nations are formed out of the strength

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and patriotism that lives in the hearts of our great heroes.

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Mike never knew for certain whether or not

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that Marine gunner who was shot

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on the helicopter survived until earlier this year

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when Mike learned that the Marine had endured

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a painful and difficult recovery,

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but that he had made it and lived

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a long and very full life before passing away in 2012.

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As Mike said, that in itself made it all worth it.

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That Marine was one of many men Mike saved.

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Throughout those four days, Mike treated

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an astounding 60 to 70 men.

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Their company disrupted the enemies

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continual resupply of weapons, saving countless

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of additional American lives.

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Today, we are joined by many

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of Mike's brothers in arms who

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fought alongside him in Operation Tailwind,

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along with brave airmen and Marines

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who provided critical support throughout the mission.

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As Mike put it, if it wasn't for those air crews,

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all of us would still be in Laos.

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Among those here today are ten members of Mike's unit.

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Please stand up as I call your name.

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Sergeant Major Morris Audair,

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Sergeant Don Budrow,

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First Sergeant Bernie Bright,

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Captain Pete Landon,

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Sergeant Jim Lucas,

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Lieutenant Colonel Gene McCarley,

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First Sergeant Denver Minton,

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Sergeant Keith Planchit,

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Specialist Five Craig Schmidt,

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And Staff Sergeant Dave Young, thank you very much.

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(applause)

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To Mike and all of the service members

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who fought in the battle, you've earned

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the eternal gratitude of the entire American nation.

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You faced down the evils of communism,

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you defended our flag, and you showed the world

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the unbreakable resolve of the American Armed Forces.

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Thank you and thank you very much.

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After serving in Operation Tailwind,

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Mike went on to become an officer in the Army

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and served for over 20 years.

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Now, Mike and his wife, Margaret,

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Margaret, stand up, Margaret (laughs).

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(applause)

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I met Margaret, Margaret's lovely,

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reside in a fantastic place, where I just left,

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Huntsville, Alabama, where he lives

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by a core conviction, you serve your country

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by fixing your block or fixing your neighborhood.

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Mike volunteers with the American Legion,

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the Knights of Columbus, and many other organizations.

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He volunteers at a local soup kitchen,

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fixes broken appliances for elderly

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and disabled neighbors, donates his hair

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for those suffering from cancer,

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makes lunches for children in need,

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and organizes community gatherings

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to bring people closer together,

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which is something we need all over the world

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and certainly in our country.

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He is a loyal friend to his fellow service members,

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many of whom are in addition here today,

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and every Wednesday, Katelyn and Christian

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come over for homework night with grandpa and grandma.

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I think Katelyn and Christian will agree,

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and I just met them, you have to stand up,

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come on, Christian, come on, Katelyn.

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(applause)

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But I think that Katelyn and Christian will agree,

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this field trip is their best homework assignment yet,

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right, what do you think, Christian?

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Yes, he said yes.
(laughter)

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I'm told that recently, Christian asked his grandfather,

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"What exactly is the Congressional Medal of Honor?"

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That is a wonderful question, Christian.

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It's the award given to America's bravest heroes

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who earn our freedom with their sacrifice.

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Those who receive the Medal of Honor

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went above and beyond the call of duty

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to protect their fellow service members

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and defend our nation.

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Katelyn and Christian, you are about

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to witness your grandpa receive our nation's

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highest military honor and America's about to witness

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Captain Gary Michael Rose recognized

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as the true American hero that he is,

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a patriot who never gives up, never gives in,

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and always stands strong for God,

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for family, and for country.

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Mike, we honor you, we thank you, we salute you,

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and with hearts full of admiration and pride,

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we present you with the Congressional Medal of Honor.

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And now I would like the military aid

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to come forward and read the citation.

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Thank you very much, thank you.

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(applause)

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- The President of the United States of America,

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authorized by act of congress, March 3rd 1863,

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has awarded, in the name of congress,

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the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Gary M. Rose,

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United States Army for conspicuous gallantry

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and intrepidity at the risk of his life

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above and beyond the call of duty.

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Sergeant Gary M. Rose distinguished himself

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by acts of gallantry and intrepidity

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while serving as a Special Forces medic

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with a company sized exploitation force,

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Special Operations augmentation,

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command and control central, Fifth Special Forces group,

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Airborne First Special Forces Republic of Vietnam.

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Between 11 and 14 September 1970,

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Sergeant Rose's company was continuously engaged

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by a well-armed and numerically superior hostile force

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deep in enemy controlled territory.

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Enemy B40 rockets and mortar rounds rained down

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while the adversary sprayed the area

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with small arms and machine gun fire

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wounding many and forcing everyone to seek cover.

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Sergeant Rose, braving the hail of bullets,

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sprinted 50 meters to a wounded soldier's side.

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He then used his own body to protect the casualty

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from further injury while treating his wounds.

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After stabilizing the casualty, Sergeant Rose carried him

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through the bullet ridden combat zone to protective cover.

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As the enemy accelerated the attack,

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Sergeant Rose continuously exposed himself

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to intense fire as he fearlessly moved

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from casualty to casualty administering life saving aid.

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A B40 rocket impacted just meters from Sergeant Rose,

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knocking him from his feet and injuring

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his head, hand, and foot.

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Ignoring his wounds, Sergeant Rose struggled to his feet

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and continued to render aid to the other injured soldiers.

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During an attempted med-evac, Sergeant Rose again,

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exposed himself to enemy fire

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as he attempted to hoist wounded personnel

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up to the hovering helicopter,

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which was unable to land due to unsuitable terrain.

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The med-evac mission was aborted due to intense enemy fire

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and the helicopter crashed a few miles away

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due to the enemy fire sustained

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during the attempted extraction.

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Over the next two days, Sergeant Rose continued to expose

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himself to enemy fire in order to treat the wounded,

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estimated to be half of the company's personnel.

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On September 14th, during the company's

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eventual helicopter extraction,

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the enemy launched a full-scale offensive.

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Sergeant Rose, after loading wounded personnel

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on the first set of extraction helicopters,

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returned to the outer perimeter under enemy fire,

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carrying friendly casualties,

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and moving wounded personnel to more secure positions

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until they could be evacuated.

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He then returned to the perimeter to help repel the enemy

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under the final extraction helicopter had arrived.

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As the final helicopter was loaded,

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the enemy began to overrun the company's position and

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the helicopter's Marine door gunner was shot in the neck.

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Sergeant Rose instantly administered

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critical medical treatment onboard the helicopter,

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saving the Marine's life.

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The helicopter carrying Sergeant Rose crashed

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several hundred meters from the extraction point,

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further injuring Sergeant Rose and the personnel on board.

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Despite his numerous wounds from the past three days,

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Sergeant Rose continued to pull and carry

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unconscious and wounded personnel

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out of the burning wreckage and continued

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to administer aid to the wounded

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until another extraction helicopter arrived.

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Sergeant Rose's extraordinary heroism and selflessness

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above and beyond the call of duty were critical

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to saving numerous lives over that four day time period.

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His actions are in keeping with the highest traditions

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of military service and reflect great credit

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upon himself, the First Special Forces,

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and the United States Army.

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(applause)

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- Eternal God, we ask for your blessings,

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the blessings of this day to remain

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with us as we go forward.

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May we go forth in peace, empowered to serve

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with greater courage and strengthened

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to overcome the challenges of our service of our call,

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given to serve all in need.

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And we ask all this in your holy name, amen.

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(applause)