WEBVTT

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Good morning , ladies and gentlemen ,

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welcome to the Medal of Honor induction

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ceremony in honor of Staff Sergeant

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Edward and Kaneshiro posthumously

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Specialist five Dwight W . Birdwell

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Specialist five Dennis M . Fuji

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Major , Retired john J . Duffy Colonel ,

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Retired ralph Puckett , junior and

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Sergeant Major thomas P pain .

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Staff Sergeant Kenny shiro posthumously ,

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Specialist five Birdwell Specialist

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five fuji Major , Retired Duffy Colonel ,

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Retired Pocket junior and Sergeant

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Major Pain were presented our nation's

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highest and most prestigious award for

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valor by the President of the United

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States . The Medal of Honor . This

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morning , they will formally be

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inducted into the pentagon's most

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sacred place , the Hall of Heroes . Our

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official party for today's ceremony

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includes the Secretary of Defense , the

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honorable Lloyd J . Austin , the

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Secretary of the army , the honorable

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Christine E . Wilmoth , the chairman of

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the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark

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A Milley and the Vice Chief of Staff of

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the Army . General joseph M . Martin .

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Ladies and gentlemen , please stand for

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the arrival of the official party and

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remain standing for the singing of our

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national anthem by Sergeant , first

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class Brandon Karen and the invocation

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delivered by chaplain . Major General

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thomas soldem .

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Oh , say . Can you

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see by the dawn's

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early light . What so

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proudly we held at the

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twilight's last gleaming

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whose broad stripes and bright

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stars through the para

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last fight or the

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ramparts we watched were

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so gallantly streaming

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and the rockets red

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glare . The bombs bursting

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in air give

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proof through the night

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that our flag was still

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there . Oh , say ,

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does that star spangled

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banner yet

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wave or the

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land of the

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Free and the

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home of the

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brave

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ladies and gentlemen , please join me

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as we mark this very special ceremony

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in a word of prayer . O Lord ! Our

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strong tower , defender and ever

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present help in time of struggle . You

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are the God above all the earth who

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trains our hands for war and whose

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presence goes with us . In the day of

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battle , We gather this day to honour

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six warriors who exemplified humble

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acts of courage . Soldiers who are in

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the crucible of conflict , committed

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acts of extraordinary bravery and

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courage . No matter what the personal

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cost . With a profound sense of pride ,

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we pay tribute to the valor of such

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warriors who gave so much of themselves

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in a moment in time and one who gave

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the full measure in this Medal of Honor

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Hall of Heroes induction ceremony .

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They by far represent the best of who

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we are as a nation . Today we add Staff

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Sergeant Edward , Kenny , Cheryl

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Specialist , Dwight Birdwell Specialist ,

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Dennis Fujii Major , Retired john Duffy ,

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Colonel , retired Ralph Puckett junior

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and Sergeant Major , thomas . Paine to

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our nation's conclave of true american

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heroes for their boldness , sacrifice

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and bravery . They understood the

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hazards of their chosen profession yet

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upheld it with honor , integrity and

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selfless service . Each of these men ,

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when faith was danger and overwhelming

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odds in the throes of combat drew from

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your almighty strength of heart , soul

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and spirit and made courageous

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decisions . Built on the foundation of

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their love and devotion to their fellow

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soldiers . Their leaders , the mission ,

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the army and their nation . We thank

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the families who have faithfully stood

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alongside their soldier . Those who

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carry the memory of their loved one

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friends and teammates who are here

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today and others in spirit to these

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great american soldiers and heroes

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bless our nation . The Department of

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Defense , the United States Army with

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women and men of character , courage

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and commitment like these may the

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Beacon of Liberty continue to burn

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bright for our nation and freedom

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loving people around the world . I pray

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these things in your holy majestic and

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mighty name . Amen . Please be seated .

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Ladies and gentlemen , the Vice Chief

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of Staff of the Army .

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Well , good morning everybody

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to the Kaneshiro family , Judge

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Birdwell and family Mr Fujii

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and family Major Duffy and Family .

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Lieutenant Colonel Retired mrs locke

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and start major pain and family . Thank

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you all for being here today .

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Thank you also to the Medal of honor

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recipient Mr James Mclaughlin and Gold

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Star . Family member Miss Jane Horton

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who have joined us today , Secretary

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Austin , Secretary War Meth it's an

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honor to share the podium with you

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today . Senator ernst , General Milley ,

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General Shinseki , General Mccaffrey

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and all other distinguished attendees .

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Welcome to today's induction ceremony .

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We're here today to recognise six

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Incredible American soldiers for acts

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of heroism . But first I want to take a

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moment to set the scene . It's almost

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impossible to describe the brutality of

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battle . It is chaotic , confusing ,

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exhausting and unrestrained

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in these particular battles . The enemy

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who would close the enemy was close and

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overwhelming , death was imminent .

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Yet These six men took action . They

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invigorated the fight against

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overwhelming violence and provided

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clarity to their comrades in moments of

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utter chaos . You will hear

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more details about the actions of from

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the other speakers , but what I'd like

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to do is highlight a couple of witness

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perspectives that stood out to me as I

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reviewed these packets In the Kim Song

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Valley soldiers from Troop C , first of

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the 9th cavalry were ambushed by the

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enemy from a from a camouflage trench .

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They were pinned down by machine gun

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fire , unable to fall back and evacuate

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the wounded . They watched

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incredulously as Staff Sergeant

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Kaneshiro alone and unstoppable jumped

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into the trench , cleared it with a

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rifle in six hand grenades , They said

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they could see his head bobbing along

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at times just 10 m away , popping out

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or popping out to shout grenade before

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he threw his rounds , One man assaulted

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his one man assault ended their

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destruction at an air base

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outside of Saigon , A sergeant who had

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been blown out of his track by an RPG

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and was mobilized in a nearby ditched ,

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watched as the Viet Cong and the North

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Vietnamese army soldiers advanced

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towards him , but every time they did

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As they approached , they were thwarted

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by specialist five birdwell who was

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laying down devastating fires from his

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tanks guns . Sergeant smith described

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Birdwell sitting exposed and fearlessly

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in the tanks hat surrounded by a cloud

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of paint chips from the enemy's rounds

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hitting around him . Specialist Bird

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Wells actions saved many lives ,

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including Sergeant Smith's in the

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mountains of Laos . Forward air

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controllers were supporting a

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Vietnamese ranger group that was nearly

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overrun . They took direction from the

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lone american on the ground , A medevac

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crew chief Specialist five fuji

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who crash landed and repeatedly waved

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off evacuation due to the onslaught of

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enemy fires . Specialist five . He

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had been under continuous fire for days

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and had lost a lot of blood but seemed

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inexhaustible to the men on the radio .

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He continuously exposed himself to

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fires to pinpoint enemy locations and

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he remains steady and composed as he

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relayed highly accurate targeting

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information and when american crews

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arrived on station to evacuate the

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remainder of the Vietnamese battalion ,

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Major Duffy was advising , They were

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amazed . It seemed unfathomable

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that some 40 men with no food water or

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ammunition could still be alive amidst

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the swarm of enemy fighters . It was

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Major Duffy's many heroic acts ,

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including calling for strikes on his

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own position to allow his battalion to

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retreat that enabled the escape . Major

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Duffy's Vietnamese brothers including

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Lieutenant Colonel Lee who is here with

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us today , credit him with saving their

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battalion from complete annihilation .

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According to Lieutenant Colonel Lee .

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He appeared to be fearless many years

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before in the biting cold near the

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changchun river in Korea . Then

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Lieutenant Puckett jumped off his tank

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Which was halted by enemy fired as he

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shouted , let's go Rangers ! As he led

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his company on foot towards Hill 205 .

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When one of the many platoons were

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suppressed by machine gun fire ,

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Colonel Puckett ran into the open to

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draw fire and allow his rangers to

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locate the gunner . two times he ran

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across the field and still in good

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humor shouted , okay , I'm only gonna

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do this one more time . Colonel Pollard ,

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corporal Pollack Watch described him as

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the bravest man he ever saw . Then

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decades later , Northern Iraq Sergeant

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Major Payne and his team entered a

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building that was burning to rescue

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hostages from an ISIS compound . The

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smoke was thick and the air was

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suppressive li hot . Sorry Major Payne

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called called for a bolt cutter and

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exposed himself to enemy fire as he cut

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the locks and freed the hostages . The

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call came that the building was

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collapsing but sorry major pain stayed

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to assist the fleeing people . As he

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finally exited the building , his

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teammates heard him shout , Last man ,

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he was helping the final hostage who

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had been immobilized by despair . Help

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us find him find his way to freedom .

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Beacons of hope in a storm of despair .

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It's almost inconceivable to imagine

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how any person could act the way these

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men did so what drove them ? The answer

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in these stories tells us these men

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exhibited unbelievable courage ,

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strength of will and selflessness out

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of love for their fellow man . What a

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testament to human potential . These

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soldiers now have a venerated place in

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american law and forever will represent

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the greatness of our country and those

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who serve it . They will inspire

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generations of service members who are

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looking for clarity as they face their

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own battles . And these stories will be

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a shining example of what the band of

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brothers and sisters can compel young

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people to believe or be

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today . We use the phrase army strong .

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These men epitomize that phrase in the

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face of terror . They were pillars of

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strength , endurance of love that is

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army strong . Their stories will always

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be a reminder of the potential strength

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of the american soldier . So next time

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you hear someone say Army Strong , I'd

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ask you to think of them . Thank

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you gentlemen and your families for

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your service and unbelievable sacrifice .

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Two years . Country Army Strong .

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Thank you . General Martina , Ladies

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and gentlemen , the Secretary of the

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Army ,

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Good morning everyone and welcome to

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our distinguished guests to our Medal

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of Honor recipients . To their families

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and their friends . It's wonderful to

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have you with us this morning .

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Secretary Austin . General Milley ,

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thank you so much for being with us and

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thank you all of our distinguished

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guests who are too numerous to name

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today . We honor six Medal of honor

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recipients . Staff . Sergeant Kaneshiro

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Specialist five Birdwell Major Retired

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Duffy Colonel Puckett Specialist , five

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fuji . each of whom fought either in

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Vietnam in Korea and Sergeant Major

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Payne who fought in Iraq . We honor

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these men as soldiers of the world's

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greatest land fighting force who went

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above and beyond the call of duty . We

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honor their families . We honor their

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heroism and sacrifice and we honor each

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of them as individuals as beloved sons ,

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husbands , fathers and grandfathers .

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Our country calls upon soldiers of the

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United States Army to fight and win our

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nation's wars . Our soldiers go

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willingly with courage and honor to

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defend our country , our democracy and

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our national interests . The six

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individuals that were inducting into

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the Hall of Heroes today did just that

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and so much more . In the moments that

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mattered most . These men made the

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choice time and time again to step

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forward . They reach deep into their

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personal reserves of faith values and

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training and in the most dangerous

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situations they mustered the strength

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to prevail duty and devotion to their

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fellow soldiers in arms , animated

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their selflessness and enabled their

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uncommon heroism despite their brave

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achievements , some of our soldiers did

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not receive the hero's welcome they

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deserved when they returned home . As

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I'm sure some in the audience can

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remember when our soldiers returned

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from Vietnam , our country was in

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considerable turmoil . Our veterans

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often bore the brunt of that political

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and social unrest a burden that really

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was not theirs to bear . And for many

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veterans and heroes of the Vietnam War ,

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including specialist five Birdwell ,

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the war went into a box that he would

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never open again . So I'm especially

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honored this morning to tell you

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something a little , something about

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each of our recipients and our heroes .

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The first honoree I'd like to introduce

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you to is Staff Sergeant Edward Navarro

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Kenichiro who received our nation's

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highest honor for valor posthumously .

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He is represented here today by his

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Children , Naomi Tom and retired Master

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Sergeant john Kenichiro Edward

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Kaneshiro was born to calm and Thoma

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Kaneshiro in Honolulu Hawaii the eighth

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of 16 siblings . He graduated from Lei

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Lei hula high school , the home of the

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mighty mules in central Oahu and he

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worked on the family farm until he

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joined the army in 1959 . He was

17:23.810 --> 17:27.390
husband to Mitsuko and Dad to Naomi Tom

17:27.390 --> 17:30.910
and John and July 19 and in

17:30.910 --> 17:34.290
July 1966 , he deployed to fight

17:34.300 --> 17:36.870
America's war in Vietnam when his

17:36.880 --> 17:39.720
oldest child was 10 and his youngest

17:39.720 --> 17:42.710
was just four months old . In Vietnam .

17:42.710 --> 17:44.930
Staff Sergeant Kaneshiro was a squad

17:44.930 --> 17:47.420
leader with Troop C first Squadron ,

17:47.430 --> 17:50.070
ninth Cavalry Regiment , first Cavalry

17:50.070 --> 17:52.490
Division . He was part of the Blues

17:52.490 --> 17:54.546
unit , a unit that took the fight to

17:54.546 --> 17:57.250
the enemy when photos were drawn out of

17:57.250 --> 17:59.194
their hiding spot . The blues were

17:59.194 --> 18:01.472
called to go in and look for the fight .

18:01.740 --> 18:04.260
After repeated acts of extraordinary

18:04.260 --> 18:06.960
courage , he was killed ultimately by

18:06.970 --> 18:10.350
enemy gunfire in March of 1967 .

18:10.940 --> 18:12.970
In the years that followed Staff

18:12.970 --> 18:15.780
sergeant Kenichiro son john who is here

18:15.780 --> 18:18.420
today carried on his father's proud

18:18.420 --> 18:20.470
legacy of service to the nation ,

18:20.480 --> 18:23.490
joining the army as an N C . O . And he

18:23.490 --> 18:26.660
retired as a master sergeant . I'm told

18:26.660 --> 18:28.716
that it was the shared experience of

18:28.716 --> 18:30.960
wearing the uniform of our nation that

18:30.960 --> 18:33.280
helped bring john closer to the man who

18:33.280 --> 18:35.650
was his father , a man who he did not

18:35.650 --> 18:38.360
get the opportunity to know . Staff

18:38.360 --> 18:40.480
Sergeant Kaneshiro , the son of

18:40.480 --> 18:43.340
Japanese immigrants , was 13 years old

18:43.340 --> 18:45.360
when America was attacked at Pearl

18:45.360 --> 18:48.590
Harbor . We can all only imagine what

18:48.590 --> 18:50.757
it must have been like for him and his

18:50.757 --> 18:53.210
family during that time . And yet he

18:53.210 --> 18:55.510
chose to serve our country and go to

18:55.510 --> 18:57.700
war on its behalf . More than 20 years

18:57.700 --> 19:01.340
later Yesterday , he became the 14th

19:01.350 --> 19:03.510
Japanese American recipient of the

19:03.510 --> 19:05.677
Medal of Honor from the Great State of

19:05.677 --> 19:07.810
Hawaii . And his is a story that is

19:07.810 --> 19:10.032
only possible here in the United States

19:10.032 --> 19:13.260
of America . Our second Vietnam war

19:13.260 --> 19:16.180
hero is specialist five Dwight D

19:16.190 --> 19:19.070
Birdwell , a proud son of the Cherokee

19:19.070 --> 19:22.010
nation . Mr Birdwell is a published

19:22.020 --> 19:24.960
author , a former chief justice of the

19:24.960 --> 19:27.390
Cherokee nation Supreme Court and the

19:27.390 --> 19:30.220
33rd native american to receive the

19:30.220 --> 19:32.660
Medal of honor . He met his wife

19:32.670 --> 19:35.160
Virginia also from a Cherokee family

19:35.160 --> 19:37.250
when they were still Children While

19:37.250 --> 19:39.361
they had known each other for years .

19:39.361 --> 19:41.306
It was only after he returned from

19:41.306 --> 19:44.220
Vietnam that they fell in love . Mr

19:44.220 --> 19:46.320
Birdwell is father to Edward and

19:46.320 --> 19:48.670
Stephanie father in law to Spike

19:48.680 --> 19:52.570
Bighorn of Montana and pa to his twin

19:52.580 --> 19:55.220
granddaughters , Willow and raven who

19:55.220 --> 19:58.800
are with us today . Mr Birdwell

19:58.800 --> 20:00.980
graduated from Stillwell High School

20:00.990 --> 20:04.740
and in 1966 , at the age of 18 he

20:04.740 --> 20:06.629
enlisted in the regular army as a

20:06.629 --> 20:09.510
private . His first overseas assignment

20:09.510 --> 20:11.710
was to Korea , where he served in the

20:11.710 --> 20:14.420
Second Infantry Division Specialist

20:14.420 --> 20:16.860
five Birdwell then went on to serve in

20:16.860 --> 20:19.620
Vietnam as a gunner with troops C Third

20:19.620 --> 20:22.530
Squadron , 4th Cavalry Regiment 25th

20:22.540 --> 20:25.780
Infantry Division Specialist Birdwell

20:25.780 --> 20:28.140
lived by the Cherokee creed . Don't

20:28.150 --> 20:30.740
bring shame on your ancestors and on

20:30.740 --> 20:34.310
that faithful day , January

20:34.310 --> 20:37.600
31 , 1968 , those words steadied and

20:37.600 --> 20:40.340
sustained him . When Mr Birdwell

20:40.340 --> 20:42.562
returned from Vietnam , he received his

20:42.562 --> 20:44.562
bachelor's degree from Northeastern

20:44.562 --> 20:47.010
State University with the encouragement

20:47.020 --> 20:49.420
of Cherokee nation elders . He pursued

20:49.420 --> 20:51.642
his juris doctorate from the University

20:51.642 --> 20:54.870
of Oklahoma . Many of the soldiers who

20:54.870 --> 20:56.860
fought with him in Vietnam faced

20:56.860 --> 20:59.470
hostility at home for their service and

20:59.470 --> 21:02.430
struggled with ptsD alcoholism and

21:02.430 --> 21:05.070
myriad other health issues . In one of

21:05.070 --> 21:07.290
his classes at Northeastern State , a

21:07.290 --> 21:09.330
professor asked those who fought in

21:09.330 --> 21:12.260
Vietnam to raise their hands , although

21:12.260 --> 21:14.270
he knew some would scorn him . He

21:14.270 --> 21:16.600
raised his hand . He was proud to have

21:16.600 --> 21:19.580
served and mr Birdwell , We are so

21:19.580 --> 21:21.960
proud and thankful for your service

21:23.640 --> 21:27.040
Specialist five Dennis M . Fuji . He is

21:27.040 --> 21:30.060
another proud son of Hawaii . He was

21:30.060 --> 21:31.900
born on the island of Kauai and

21:31.900 --> 21:34.320
attended Waimea High School . His

21:34.320 --> 21:36.450
mother's family were rice farmers and

21:36.450 --> 21:38.561
his stepfather was a mechanic for the

21:38.561 --> 21:41.830
Hawaii National Guard . Mr Fuji is

21:41.830 --> 21:44.650
husband to Ray , father to Tiffany and

21:44.650 --> 21:47.260
has a nine month old grandson . He is

21:47.260 --> 21:49.920
an avid fisherman and the 15th japanese

21:49.920 --> 21:51.840
american to receive the nation's

21:51.840 --> 21:55.580
highest honor for valor In 1967 . By

21:55.580 --> 21:57.610
the Time Specialist five Fuji , he

21:57.610 --> 22:00.070
enlisted in the Army as a private . The

22:00.070 --> 22:02.670
Vietnam War was already well underway

22:02.900 --> 22:04.789
and that is where he wanted to be

22:05.240 --> 22:07.340
Specialist Fuji . He deployed to

22:07.340 --> 22:10.620
Vietnam in 1968 where he spent his

22:10.620 --> 22:13.400
first nine months assigned to Company C

22:13.450 --> 22:15.830
Second Battalion , 35th Infantry

22:15.830 --> 22:18.220
Regiment , fourth Infantry Division as

22:18.220 --> 22:20.550
an assistant machine gunner . His

22:20.550 --> 22:23.420
second tour to Vietnam two years later

22:23.430 --> 22:27.160
was with the 237th Medical Detachment

22:27.170 --> 22:30.470
61st Medical Battalion , 37th Medical

22:30.470 --> 22:33.210
Group reflecting on his time in the

22:33.210 --> 22:35.410
army and his service in Vietnam

22:35.750 --> 22:37.960
Specialist Fuji . He expressed that he

22:37.960 --> 22:40.940
was driven by a desire to do his fair

22:40.940 --> 22:44.090
share . While he was deployed friends

22:44.090 --> 22:46.410
and family back home asked him , why

22:46.410 --> 22:48.521
are you there , what are you fighting

22:48.521 --> 22:51.060
for ? Specialist Fujii told them that

22:51.060 --> 22:53.420
he felt called to do for his country

22:53.420 --> 22:55.880
what it needed to defend democracy

22:55.880 --> 22:57.980
against communism and to preserve a

22:57.980 --> 23:00.850
better life for the people of Vietnam .

23:01.640 --> 23:03.870
Thank you . Mr Fuji for doing

23:03.870 --> 23:06.560
immeasurably more than your fair share .

23:07.340 --> 23:10.110
Our 4th Vietnam War Hero is major

23:10.110 --> 23:12.860
retired John J . Duffy .

23:13.840 --> 23:17.690
Major Duffy is dad to Natalie and

23:17.690 --> 23:21.350
john and baba to Marcus and Judd . In

23:21.350 --> 23:23.239
addition to being one of the most

23:23.239 --> 23:25.190
decorated army veterans of his

23:25.190 --> 23:28.270
generation , he is also a poet , a

23:28.270 --> 23:30.670
Pulitzer prize nominee , a publisher

23:30.670 --> 23:32.781
and the founder of an investment firm

23:33.340 --> 23:37.230
In 1955 . At the age of 17 , he aspired

23:37.230 --> 23:39.610
to be a paratrooper and he enlisted in

23:39.610 --> 23:42.530
the army as a private . When asked what

23:42.530 --> 23:44.960
set him on that particular path , he

23:44.960 --> 23:46.960
recalled that his neighbor was a US

23:46.960 --> 23:49.480
Army paratrooper and had very shiny

23:49.480 --> 23:51.790
boots . These boots made quite an

23:51.790 --> 23:54.060
impression on the young john Duffy who

23:54.060 --> 23:56.004
decided that he too would become a

23:56.004 --> 23:59.480
paratrooper . So , at 17.5 , Major

23:59.480 --> 24:02.080
Duffy was not only a fully qualified

24:02.080 --> 24:04.800
paratrooper , but he now had his own

24:04.800 --> 24:06.960
pair of boots , a pair that he kept

24:06.960 --> 24:10.220
shined to perfection . Major Duffy

24:10.230 --> 24:12.350
prided himself on training . Training

24:12.350 --> 24:14.840
hard as he told me yesterday , he

24:14.840 --> 24:17.800
attended 17 military schools and

24:17.800 --> 24:20.022
received specialized training in things

24:20.022 --> 24:22.133
like forward air control , which came

24:22.133 --> 24:24.620
in very handy during his four tours in

24:24.620 --> 24:27.940
Vietnam . At multiple point in his life

24:27.950 --> 24:30.240
of triumphs and tribulations , he asked

24:30.240 --> 24:32.960
himself , what should I do next , what

24:32.960 --> 24:35.310
is the thing I should be doing ? This

24:35.310 --> 24:37.490
question led Major Duffy to become a

24:37.490 --> 24:39.490
commissioned officer and then to be

24:39.490 --> 24:41.740
stationed at Fort Bragg serving with

24:41.740 --> 24:44.340
the Special Forces . The war in Vietnam

24:44.340 --> 24:46.396
was just beginning and this time for

24:46.396 --> 24:48.507
john Duffy , the next thing to do was

24:48.507 --> 24:51.580
to volunteer to serve in Vietnam . So

24:51.580 --> 24:54.900
in December of 1972 as an advisor to

24:54.900 --> 24:57.100
elite South Vietnamese paratroopers .

24:57.110 --> 25:00.130
His job was to call in enemy positions

25:00.130 --> 25:02.750
to American air power as the only

25:02.750 --> 25:04.972
American on the ground . He worked hand

25:04.972 --> 25:06.861
in hand with his South Vietnamese

25:06.861 --> 25:08.917
counterpart , Lieutenant Colonel Mai

25:08.917 --> 25:11.360
Lee , who is also with us here today .

25:11.940 --> 25:14.420
Despite the repeated attacks and the

25:14.420 --> 25:16.520
wounds he suffered , Major Duffy

25:16.520 --> 25:18.810
persisted when Lieutenant Colonel Lee

25:18.810 --> 25:21.370
was seriously injured , Duffy led the

25:21.370 --> 25:23.570
remaining defenders on charlie Hill to

25:23.570 --> 25:25.630
safety and his partnership with

25:25.630 --> 25:27.297
Lieutenant Colonel Lee on the

25:27.297 --> 25:29.610
battlefield turned into a lifelong

25:29.610 --> 25:32.420
friendship . After retiring from the

25:32.420 --> 25:34.850
army , john Duffy became a legend in

25:34.850 --> 25:37.160
the special operations community . He

25:37.160 --> 25:39.160
is a founding member of the Special

25:39.160 --> 25:41.300
Operations Association and a life

25:41.300 --> 25:43.310
member of the Special Forces Decade

25:43.310 --> 25:45.810
Association , the legion of valor and

25:45.810 --> 25:48.680
many more . The fifth hero that we're

25:48.680 --> 25:51.440
honoring today is Colonel retired Ralph

25:51.450 --> 25:54.250
Puckett Junior . Colonel Puckett was

25:54.250 --> 25:56.430
awarded the Medal of Honor in april

25:56.440 --> 25:59.010
2021 I'm delighted that we're

25:59.010 --> 26:01.177
officially able to indict him into the

26:01.177 --> 26:03.610
Hall of Heroes this morning . Colonel

26:03.610 --> 26:06.060
Puckett is a proud son of Georgia . The

26:06.060 --> 26:08.340
son of atticus Puckett , husband to

26:08.340 --> 26:11.680
gene Dad to Martha and thomas and known

26:11.680 --> 26:14.550
as Big Daddy to his six grandchildren .

26:15.040 --> 26:17.670
He attended the US Military Academy at

26:17.670 --> 26:20.240
West Point and received his commission

26:20.240 --> 26:23.170
as an infantry officer . In 1949 ,

26:23.740 --> 26:25.796
Colonel Puckett formed and commanded

26:25.796 --> 26:28.018
one of the first ranger units after the

26:28.018 --> 26:30.184
rangers were disbanded following World

26:30.184 --> 26:32.600
War two . And he is considered to be

26:32.600 --> 26:34.900
the architect of the modern day ranger

26:34.910 --> 26:37.790
regiment . As a ranger instructor at

26:37.790 --> 26:39.734
Fort Benning . Colonel Puckett was

26:39.734 --> 26:42.200
known to say don't quit ranger at the

26:42.200 --> 26:44.740
turnaround of the 12 mile Foot march .

26:44.750 --> 26:47.250
And many soldiers today still recall

26:47.250 --> 26:49.528
his encouraging presence with fondness .

26:49.940 --> 26:52.162
He believed then as he does now that if

26:52.162 --> 26:54.329
a soldier was willing and able to meet

26:54.329 --> 26:56.496
the standards that were set , they had

26:56.496 --> 26:59.260
the right to be there And being there

26:59.260 --> 27:01.204
was important for Ralph Puckett in

27:01.204 --> 27:04.150
November 1951 on Hill

27:04.160 --> 27:07.630
222 and later on Hill 205 in

27:07.630 --> 27:10.450
Korea where against all odds , his

27:10.450 --> 27:13.000
leadership and example helped to save

27:13.000 --> 27:16.090
his men to Colonel Puckett . Thank you

27:16.090 --> 27:18.670
for your courage for your lifetime of

27:18.670 --> 27:21.250
service and for defining what it means

27:21.250 --> 27:23.050
to be a ranger for successive

27:23.050 --> 27:26.200
generations who followed you . Our

27:26.200 --> 27:28.560
final inductee this morning in the Hall

27:28.560 --> 27:31.000
of Heroes is Sergeant Major thomas

27:31.010 --> 27:34.220
Patrick Payne . Sergeant Major Payne

27:34.230 --> 27:37.060
answered the call to serve after 9 11

27:37.070 --> 27:40.590
enlisting as a private in 2002 . He

27:40.590 --> 27:43.150
keeps his bible in his pack and wears a

27:43.150 --> 27:45.290
cross necklace close to his chest .

27:45.740 --> 27:48.380
He's a proud son of south Carolina .

27:48.410 --> 27:51.460
Dad to Elizabeth Aaron and Joshua and

27:51.460 --> 27:54.200
husband to Allison . He and his wife

27:54.200 --> 27:56.089
Alison met at lake Murray . South

27:56.089 --> 27:58.460
Carolina where he was recovering from a

27:58.460 --> 28:01.860
grenade blast from Afghanistan they met ,

28:01.870 --> 28:03.759
they fell in love and the rest is

28:03.759 --> 28:06.440
history . As they say , Pat and Allison

28:06.440 --> 28:08.740
named their second son josh after

28:08.740 --> 28:11.170
Master Sergeant Joshua wheeler , who

28:11.170 --> 28:13.392
was killed in action during the hostage

28:13.392 --> 28:16.920
rescue operation in New Ouija . If

28:16.920 --> 28:18.864
you've had the opportunity to meet

28:18.864 --> 28:21.087
Sergeant major pain , you'll notice his

28:21.087 --> 28:23.140
no nonsense humility and relentless

28:23.140 --> 28:25.450
focus on the mission . But it's worth

28:25.450 --> 28:27.506
knowing that he served in the army's

28:27.506 --> 28:30.210
most elite units , including the 75th

28:30.210 --> 28:32.860
ranger Regiment and within several

28:32.860 --> 28:35.790
other units in Army Special Operations

28:35.790 --> 28:38.700
Command . As he looks back on his life

28:38.700 --> 28:41.030
to date and military service , he will

28:41.030 --> 28:43.460
tell you that even if you laid out 100

28:43.460 --> 28:45.682
careers in front of him , he would pick

28:45.682 --> 28:48.750
this career every time reflecting on

28:48.750 --> 28:50.917
the medal of honor that he was awarded

28:50.917 --> 28:53.140
in 2020 . Sergeant Major Payne is quick

28:53.140 --> 28:54.807
to note that he should not be

28:54.807 --> 28:56.862
remembered as a recipient , but as a

28:56.862 --> 29:00.340
Guardian . Shortly after the hostage

29:00.350 --> 29:04.010
rescue Operation Hawija in 2015 , I had

29:04.010 --> 29:06.121
the opportunity to visit with members

29:06.121 --> 29:08.232
of the unit that participated in that

29:08.232 --> 29:10.610
operation in Kirkuk province . I

29:10.610 --> 29:12.721
remember worrying that day that I did

29:12.721 --> 29:14.888
not know what to say to the soldiers ,

29:14.888 --> 29:16.943
I would meet who had just lost their

29:16.943 --> 29:18.832
brother in arms . Master Sergeant

29:18.832 --> 29:21.350
wheeler . I still do not have the right

29:21.350 --> 29:24.410
words to say today , but what I can say

29:24.410 --> 29:26.410
is thank you for your extraordinary

29:26.410 --> 29:28.960
courage and valor valor and thank you

29:28.960 --> 29:32.310
for the many lives you saved on behalf

29:32.310 --> 29:34.310
of a grateful nation and a grateful

29:34.310 --> 29:37.210
army . Thanks to all of our Hall of

29:37.210 --> 29:40.210
Hero inductees for your extraordinary

29:40.210 --> 29:42.630
courage and valor and for the many

29:42.630 --> 29:45.230
lives you saved . Thank you for your

29:45.230 --> 29:47.341
love of country and all that you have

29:47.341 --> 29:50.230
given to it to your families . Thank

29:50.230 --> 29:52.770
you for your sacrifice and for sharing

29:52.780 --> 29:54.970
your sons , husbands , fathers and

29:54.970 --> 29:56.860
grandfathers with all of us .

30:09.440 --> 30:12.210
Okay , thank you . Secretary Wilmoth ,

30:12.290 --> 30:14.512
Ladies and gentlemen , the Secretary of

30:14.512 --> 30:15.512
Defense .

30:34.840 --> 30:36.618
Well , good morning everybody .

30:36.618 --> 30:39.360
Secretary warmth and General martin .

30:40.340 --> 30:42.900
Thank you for your moving tributes to

30:42.900 --> 30:46.360
our honorees and thank you for

30:46.370 --> 30:49.280
everything that you do for soldiers and

30:49.280 --> 30:52.690
their families . It's also great to be

30:52.690 --> 30:55.880
here with General Milley . Thank you

30:55.880 --> 30:58.280
for your partnership and your

30:58.280 --> 30:59.502
leadership . Chairman

31:02.340 --> 31:04.396
Special welcome to Senator ernst for

31:04.396 --> 31:06.562
joining us today . Thank you for being

31:06.562 --> 31:10.390
here to help us recognize

31:10.530 --> 31:14.460
some great american heroes . And let me

31:14.460 --> 31:16.980
also welcome the families and friends

31:17.710 --> 31:19.766
of the recipients who are here today

31:20.440 --> 31:22.660
and those who are joining us online ,

31:24.640 --> 31:26.640
the families of our service members

31:26.640 --> 31:29.860
might never wear the uniform , but they

31:29.860 --> 31:33.810
serve every bit as much as their

31:33.810 --> 31:37.310
loved ones and we know how hard it can

31:37.310 --> 31:40.610
be and we can never take it for granted .

31:42.340 --> 31:46.270
So from all of us here , thank you for

31:46.270 --> 31:47.670
everything that you do

31:50.340 --> 31:54.180
now . It's an honor to spend time with

31:54.180 --> 31:57.730
one Medal of honor recipient . But

31:57.730 --> 32:00.020
being here today with today's gathering

32:00.020 --> 32:03.770
of heroes , this is once in a lifetime ,

32:05.490 --> 32:08.020
the medal of honor is reserved only for

32:08.020 --> 32:11.400
those whose bravery shone out during

32:11.400 --> 32:13.550
the chaos in the den of battle ,

32:15.540 --> 32:17.596
for those who put their lives on the

32:17.596 --> 32:21.030
line for their teammates and for those

32:21.030 --> 32:24.580
who charge towards danger and went

32:24.580 --> 32:28.290
far far above and beyond the

32:28.290 --> 32:31.860
call of duty . And

32:31.860 --> 32:34.290
today , as you've heard , we have the

32:34.290 --> 32:37.870
enormous privilege of adding six Medal

32:37.870 --> 32:40.210
of Honor recipients to our Hall of

32:40.210 --> 32:43.950
Heroes . Now these warriors come

32:43.950 --> 32:46.820
from different backgrounds . Their

32:46.820 --> 32:49.510
hometowns stretch from new york to

32:49.510 --> 32:52.950
Honolulu . They fought in conflicts

32:52.950 --> 32:56.340
from Korea to Vietnam to the war

32:56.340 --> 33:00.070
against ISIS in their time in

33:00.070 --> 33:03.350
uniform Spans nearly 80

33:03.350 --> 33:07.270
years . But they are

33:07.270 --> 33:10.890
all soldiers united in their

33:10.890 --> 33:14.630
devotion to duty duty to

33:14.630 --> 33:18.330
carry out their mission duty to their

33:18.330 --> 33:21.060
teammates and the allies who served

33:21.060 --> 33:25.030
alongside and duty to democracy and to

33:25.030 --> 33:27.460
the country that they love

33:29.530 --> 33:33.520
in that sense of duty carried them

33:33.520 --> 33:36.050
through incredible acts of courage .

33:38.240 --> 33:41.070
You know , none of them set out to be

33:41.070 --> 33:44.730
here today . But in these

33:44.730 --> 33:47.550
moments they displayed the rare

33:48.940 --> 33:50.860
kind of valor deserving of our

33:50.860 --> 33:52.660
military's highest decoration .

33:56.240 --> 33:58.360
So let me start with Staff Sergeant

33:58.940 --> 34:00.460
Edward Conoce Shiro

34:02.240 --> 34:05.840
In 1966 . He was serving in Vietnam as

34:05.840 --> 34:09.650
an infantry squad leader in one day in

34:09.650 --> 34:11.706
december . He and his squad were out

34:11.706 --> 34:15.430
scouting for open terrain . They didn't

34:15.430 --> 34:19.350
know it , but North Vietnamese

34:19.350 --> 34:21.406
forces were planning to ambush their

34:21.406 --> 34:23.820
teammates through a concealed trench

34:23.820 --> 34:27.760
system and when machine gunfire erupted ,

34:28.240 --> 34:32.050
his squad moved towards the sound and

34:32.050 --> 34:34.050
Sergeant Sergeant Kaneshiro threw a

34:34.050 --> 34:36.470
grenade right through the aperture of

34:36.470 --> 34:38.637
the enemy bunker , stopping the ambush

34:38.637 --> 34:41.870
where it started . Then he jumped into

34:41.870 --> 34:43.760
the trenches and singlehandedly

34:43.760 --> 34:47.350
destroyed one Enemy Group After Another .

34:48.840 --> 34:50.673
And because of his bravery , his

34:50.673 --> 34:52.784
platoon was able to withdraw from the

34:52.784 --> 34:56.610
village and tragically , just a

34:56.610 --> 34:58.610
few months later , Sergeant Kenneth

34:58.610 --> 35:01.000
Shiro was killed in action by enemy

35:01.000 --> 35:05.000
fire . I wish

35:05.000 --> 35:07.160
that I could personally thank him for

35:07.160 --> 35:10.550
his heroism and his selflessness ,

35:12.140 --> 35:14.251
but it's a profound honor to have his

35:14.251 --> 35:18.050
Children with us today . And as I

35:18.050 --> 35:21.500
told you earlier , I know that you

35:21.500 --> 35:23.722
didn't get enough time with your father

35:24.040 --> 35:27.610
and I know that no words of praise can

35:27.610 --> 35:31.240
make up for his loss , but I can only

35:31.240 --> 35:34.570
imagine how proud you must be of his

35:34.570 --> 35:38.450
service and john I know how proud your

35:38.450 --> 35:40.700
father would be of your own military

35:40.700 --> 35:43.800
career , including your two deployments

35:43.800 --> 35:47.690
to Operation Iraqi Freedom . You have

35:47.700 --> 35:51.300
all carried on his legacy and live

35:51.300 --> 35:53.560
lives that honor his memory

35:57.340 --> 36:00.250
now . Like Sergeant Kaneshiro ,

36:01.630 --> 36:05.160
Specialist Five Dwight Birdwell also

36:05.160 --> 36:07.271
jumped into action when his unit came

36:07.271 --> 36:11.170
under attack In 1968 . During

36:11.170 --> 36:13.960
the Tet Offensive . His team was called

36:13.960 --> 36:16.460
to protect an allied base near Saigon

36:18.110 --> 36:21.680
and they were heavily outnumbered and

36:21.680 --> 36:23.960
almost immediately his tank commander

36:23.960 --> 36:27.150
was critically wounded and Specialist

36:27.150 --> 36:30.570
Birdwell realized that the tank was the

36:30.570 --> 36:32.850
only thing between his fellow soldiers

36:32.850 --> 36:36.050
and the enemy . So Specialist

36:36.050 --> 36:38.380
Birdwell fired anything that he could

36:38.380 --> 36:41.610
get his hands on The tank's main 90

36:41.610 --> 36:44.450
millim gun and then it's machine gun

36:45.230 --> 36:47.397
and at several points he hopped out of

36:47.397 --> 36:49.920
the commander's hatch With his M 16 to

36:49.920 --> 36:53.530
get a better shot . Even when he ran

36:53.530 --> 36:56.720
out of ammo , he kept on fighting , He

36:56.720 --> 36:58.887
made his way down to a downed American

36:58.887 --> 37:01.109
helicopter and found two machine guns .

37:01.730 --> 37:04.320
His comrade took one and Specialist

37:04.320 --> 37:08.100
Birdwell took the other . Now that

37:08.100 --> 37:10.600
gun was shot out of his hands and

37:10.600 --> 37:12.767
Specialist Birdwell was wounded by the

37:12.767 --> 37:15.810
shrapnel but he still refused to leave

37:15.810 --> 37:19.500
the battle and Specialist Bird Rail ran

37:19.500 --> 37:22.320
through a storm of enemy fire and found

37:22.320 --> 37:25.440
a defensive position and to collect and

37:25.440 --> 37:27.162
redistribute ammunition to the

37:27.162 --> 37:30.730
remaining defenders and then he led a

37:30.730 --> 37:34.240
group of his comrades past enemy lines

37:34.240 --> 37:36.660
and threw hand grenades to prevent the

37:36.660 --> 37:40.380
enemy from advancing and through it

37:40.380 --> 37:42.720
all , Specialist Birdwell continued to

37:42.720 --> 37:46.260
fight and when he

37:46.270 --> 37:49.660
returned home to Oklahoma , he

37:49.660 --> 37:53.420
continued to serve , he heard he earned

37:53.420 --> 37:55.531
his law degree and went on to preside

37:55.531 --> 37:57.531
over the Cherokee Nation's Judicial

37:57.531 --> 38:00.690
Appeals Tribunal as its Chief Justice

38:03.900 --> 38:06.960
Specialist Birdwell , you said that you

38:06.960 --> 38:08.960
joined the army because you've been

38:08.960 --> 38:11.127
inspired by the many , many members of

38:11.127 --> 38:13.238
the Cherokee nation who served before

38:13.238 --> 38:17.040
you . I hope that you know

38:18.120 --> 38:21.240
that your life of service will inspire

38:21.240 --> 38:22.640
generations to come

38:26.220 --> 38:29.600
Next is specialist five Dennis

38:30.320 --> 38:33.480
fuji And on

38:33.490 --> 38:36.450
24 February 1971 .

38:37.670 --> 38:39.837
The new york times reported from South

38:39.837 --> 38:42.740
Vietnam on his bravery ,

38:43.420 --> 38:47.290
saying that quote pilots here thought

38:47.290 --> 38:49.140
that the man was a hero .

38:51.620 --> 38:54.210
Days earlier , Specialist Fuji's dust

38:54.210 --> 38:57.270
off crew had taken off in a helicopter

38:57.270 --> 38:59.640
to evacuate South Vietnamese military

38:59.640 --> 39:03.450
personnel from a raging battlefield but

39:03.450 --> 39:05.990
as they approached they took intense

39:05.990 --> 39:09.540
fire and their Huey crash landed

39:11.220 --> 39:13.840
and Specialist Fuji was injured in the

39:13.840 --> 39:17.830
wreckage . Another american helicopter

39:17.830 --> 39:19.950
was able to land nearby and his

39:19.950 --> 39:23.390
crewmates climbed aboard but specialist

39:23.390 --> 39:26.760
Fuji was taking too much fire so he

39:26.760 --> 39:28.649
signaled to the pilot to take off

39:28.649 --> 39:30.704
without him so that the others could

39:30.704 --> 39:33.510
get to safety and once the helicopter

39:33.510 --> 39:37.340
flew away , he was the only american

39:38.020 --> 39:42.020
left on the battlefield . He managed to

39:42.020 --> 39:44.430
find a radio and told aviators not to

39:44.430 --> 39:47.690
try to come rescue him . There was just

39:47.690 --> 39:50.170
too much anti aircraft fire , he told

39:50.170 --> 39:52.540
them and the battlefield was too hot .

39:55.220 --> 39:58.830
He was hurt and stranded but he spent

39:58.830 --> 40:00.330
the night and the next day

40:00.330 --> 40:02.274
administering first aid to wounded

40:02.274 --> 40:05.700
South Vietnamese allies . In the

40:05.700 --> 40:07.367
meanwhile , the enemy brought

40:07.367 --> 40:10.970
reinforcements and soon the encampment

40:10.970 --> 40:12.760
was under renewed assault and

40:12.760 --> 40:15.630
specialist Fuji found yet another radio

40:16.910 --> 40:19.970
but he didn't use it to request a

40:19.970 --> 40:23.800
rescue . Instead , he called in

40:23.800 --> 40:25.633
enemy positions and directed air

40:25.633 --> 40:28.990
strikes against them For the next

40:28.990 --> 40:30.760
17 hours

40:33.810 --> 40:36.000
and finally a helicopter airlifted him

40:36.000 --> 40:39.940
out . But again they sustain enemy

40:39.940 --> 40:42.740
fire and crash landed 2.5 miles away

40:44.210 --> 40:47.220
and so exhausted and wounded . He had

40:47.220 --> 40:50.060
to wait another two days before

40:50.060 --> 40:53.610
reaching safety and

40:53.610 --> 40:56.910
specialist fuji people have known you

40:56.910 --> 41:00.740
to be a hero ever since and I'm

41:00.740 --> 41:03.850
proud to officially add your name to

41:03.850 --> 41:05.530
our whole of heroes .

41:10.110 --> 41:12.630
Now , in 1972 ,

41:13.810 --> 41:17.280
Major Duffy was a senior adviser to an

41:17.280 --> 41:19.750
elite battalion of the South Vietnamese

41:19.750 --> 41:23.280
army . He trusted his counterparts

41:23.810 --> 41:27.670
and they trusted him and on 14 April

41:27.670 --> 41:29.820
their job was simple but gravely

41:29.820 --> 41:32.820
dangerous . They had to hold off North

41:32.830 --> 41:35.840
North Vietnamese forces at fire support

41:35.840 --> 41:38.530
base charlie for as long as possible .

41:39.810 --> 41:42.590
So in the early morning hours , Major

41:42.590 --> 41:45.600
Duffy snuck up as close as he could to

41:45.600 --> 41:48.700
the enemy's anti aircraft positions and

41:48.700 --> 41:50.756
from there he called in airstrikes .

41:52.010 --> 41:55.550
Major Duffy was wounded by shrapnel but

41:55.550 --> 41:58.840
he refused evacuation and when the

41:58.840 --> 42:00.896
enemy began bombarding the base with

42:00.896 --> 42:02.900
artillery , he put himself in an

42:02.900 --> 42:05.067
exposed position so that he could call

42:05.067 --> 42:08.920
in more air strikes and finally the

42:08.920 --> 42:12.140
enemy went silent without a moment to

42:12.140 --> 42:15.080
lose . Major Duffy moved allied

42:15.080 --> 42:18.680
soldiers to safer positions and because

42:18.680 --> 42:21.170
it was too dangerous for resupply

42:21.170 --> 42:24.110
aircraft to land , He redistributed

42:24.120 --> 42:27.100
what remained of the ammo and by the

42:27.100 --> 42:30.010
next morning the North Vietnamese

42:30.010 --> 42:31.910
forces resume their attacks ,

42:31.920 --> 42:34.820
inflicting even more casualties .

42:36.200 --> 42:39.420
Major Duffy organized an evacuation of

42:39.420 --> 42:42.140
those who survived and when they

42:42.150 --> 42:44.261
reached the exfiltration site . Major

42:44.261 --> 42:46.730
Duffy would not leave

42:47.900 --> 42:50.450
until all of his brothers in arms were

42:50.450 --> 42:54.330
aboard and one of those evacuees

42:54.330 --> 42:57.070
is here with us today . Major Duffy's

42:57.070 --> 42:59.237
counterpart . Lieutenant Colonel lee .

43:01.300 --> 43:03.300
Gentlemen , thank you both for your

43:03.300 --> 43:04.300
service .

43:07.300 --> 43:09.356
You know . Years later , Major Duffy

43:09.356 --> 43:12.050
remembered being asked if he wanted to

43:12.050 --> 43:15.370
go into that battle and he

43:15.370 --> 43:19.010
replied , quote , gotta go in .

43:19.900 --> 43:23.560
It's the job , Major

43:23.560 --> 43:26.120
Duffy , It is the job ,

43:28.200 --> 43:30.460
but few have ever done that job with as

43:30.460 --> 43:34.460
much valor . So thank you for all that

43:34.460 --> 43:36.627
you have done on behalf of our country

43:40.200 --> 43:43.060
and today , after delays caused by the

43:43.060 --> 43:46.110
pandemic , I'm also glad to

43:46.110 --> 43:49.430
officially induct to Medal of honor

43:49.430 --> 43:52.830
recipients into the Hall of Heroes .

43:55.800 --> 43:57.780
Colonel Ralph Puckett and Sergeant

43:57.780 --> 43:59.430
Major thomas Patrick Payne .

44:01.390 --> 44:03.446
Although Colonel Puckett couldn't be

44:03.446 --> 44:06.280
with us in person today , I believe

44:06.280 --> 44:09.420
that he's watching from home . So good

44:09.420 --> 44:12.420
morning Colonel . And we're glad that

44:12.420 --> 44:14.476
you're represented here in person by

44:15.390 --> 44:17.612
retired Lieutenant Colonel john locke .

44:21.290 --> 44:24.800
So let's think back On a frigid morning

44:24.810 --> 44:28.700
in 1950 during the Battle of Battle for

44:28.700 --> 44:30.920
Hell 205 in the Korean War .

44:32.790 --> 44:35.050
First Lieutenant Puckett was commanding

44:35.050 --> 44:37.217
the eighth U . S . Army ranger company

44:38.790 --> 44:41.460
and he repeatedly put his life at risk

44:41.470 --> 44:43.580
running across an open field and

44:43.580 --> 44:46.790
courting enemy fire so that his team

44:46.790 --> 44:50.600
could spot the chinese position and as

44:50.600 --> 44:53.760
a battleground on he was injured by

44:53.760 --> 44:56.110
grenade fragments but he wouldn't leave .

44:57.070 --> 44:59.150
Instead he moved from Foxhole to

44:59.150 --> 45:01.310
Foxhole redistributing ammunition and

45:01.310 --> 45:05.040
taking care of his men . His

45:05.040 --> 45:07.810
compassion and his grit

45:08.790 --> 45:12.710
inspired his fellow rangers . And

45:12.710 --> 45:14.980
so when he was wounded again , he

45:14.990 --> 45:17.110
ordered his men to leave him behind .

45:19.190 --> 45:21.810
But they refused and they got him out

45:22.790 --> 45:24.846
because Lieutenant Puckett had shown

45:24.846 --> 45:27.600
them that true courage means putting

45:27.600 --> 45:31.310
your people first and after

45:31.310 --> 45:33.588
receiving the Medal of Honor last year ,

45:33.588 --> 45:35.920
Colonel Puckett thought of his team

45:36.590 --> 45:39.500
saying , quote , the people who earn

45:39.500 --> 45:42.070
that medal are the rangers who did more

45:42.070 --> 45:45.930
than I asked . That's

45:45.930 --> 45:49.610
absolutely right . But Colonel Puckett ,

45:50.990 --> 45:53.460
you did so much more than your country

45:53.460 --> 45:56.420
asked and we salute .

45:57.190 --> 45:58.857
You're a tremendous service .

46:02.680 --> 46:04.830
And finally , from Col Puckett's

46:04.830 --> 46:08.040
heroism in 1950 , we fast forward some

46:08.040 --> 46:11.810
65 years and shift to Kirkuk

46:11.810 --> 46:13.810
province in Northern Iraq . And the

46:13.810 --> 46:17.710
battle against ISIS in 2015 .

46:18.260 --> 46:20.760
Then Sergeant first class Patrick Payne

46:20.760 --> 46:23.780
was charged with leading a raid to free

46:23.780 --> 46:26.690
Iraqis taken hostage hostage by the

46:26.690 --> 46:30.560
jihadist . His team knew that ISIS had

46:30.560 --> 46:32.449
been holding the prisoners in two

46:32.449 --> 46:35.970
buildings . So when Sergeant Payne's

46:35.970 --> 46:38.200
team landed in the dead of night ,

46:41.080 --> 46:44.100
they cleared one of those buildings and

46:44.100 --> 46:47.750
free the hostages and sign . But the

46:47.750 --> 46:50.000
second building was under intense fire

46:51.080 --> 46:53.191
and Sergeant Paine heard on the radio

46:53.191 --> 46:55.247
that his fellow soldiers needed help

46:55.247 --> 46:58.500
there and he remembers turning to one

46:58.500 --> 47:00.500
of his teammates and saying quote ,

47:01.780 --> 47:05.160
let's get into the fight . The building

47:05.160 --> 47:08.410
was burning and certain pain knew that

47:08.410 --> 47:10.521
the prisoners locked inside would die

47:10.521 --> 47:13.210
if they weren't free . So he plunged

47:13.210 --> 47:16.500
into the smoke and the enemy fire and

47:16.500 --> 47:19.700
found an armored door behind that

47:19.700 --> 47:21.920
armored door where dozens of prisoners

47:21.920 --> 47:25.020
trapped . Certain pain then traded his

47:25.020 --> 47:28.080
rifle for boat cutters and again went

47:28.080 --> 47:32.060
into the building . It was on fire and

47:32.070 --> 47:36.030
under fire and he broke the lock on

47:36.030 --> 47:39.730
the door . Now by this point the beer

47:39.740 --> 47:42.910
building was near collapsing and the

47:42.910 --> 47:45.132
soldiers were ordered to evacuate . But

47:45.132 --> 47:47.320
certain pain ran back in again to to

47:47.320 --> 47:51.260
save more hostages and then he went

47:51.260 --> 47:53.870
in again to check that no one was left

47:53.880 --> 47:54.410
behind .

47:58.080 --> 48:00.136
And so campaign had said , let's get

48:00.136 --> 48:02.590
into the fight and he did

48:03.570 --> 48:05.900
angel and over again .

48:07.770 --> 48:10.190
And that night he helped to free 75

48:10.190 --> 48:14.010
prisoners , those men and women and

48:14.010 --> 48:16.830
their families will never forget that

48:16.830 --> 48:19.080
daring rescue and neither will we .

48:21.170 --> 48:23.170
So thank you . Sergeant Paine and I

48:23.170 --> 48:25.059
have to tell you Sergeant Paine .

48:25.059 --> 48:27.350
Sergeant Major pain . I'm especially

48:27.350 --> 48:29.517
grateful because I'm the guy that sent

48:29.517 --> 48:31.410
you into that fight as a centcom

48:31.410 --> 48:35.410
commander and I will remain grateful

48:35.410 --> 48:37.243
to you and your comrades for the

48:37.243 --> 48:40.140
incredible , incredible work that you

48:40.140 --> 48:43.220
did on that night to save lives . So on

48:43.220 --> 48:45.680
behalf of our country , thank you for

48:45.680 --> 48:47.736
all that you and your teammates have

48:47.736 --> 48:51.460
done . Ladies and gentlemen , President

48:51.460 --> 48:54.430
Kennedy once said that a nation reveals

48:54.430 --> 48:57.450
itself not only by the man it produces ,

48:57.460 --> 48:59.990
but also by the man it honors .

49:01.470 --> 49:04.030
So today we etch the soldiers names

49:04.030 --> 49:07.030
into the hall of heroes to honor their

49:07.030 --> 49:09.410
deeds and to remember why american

49:09.410 --> 49:12.930
warriors fight . We honor these heroes

49:12.930 --> 49:15.580
because they represent the very best of

49:15.580 --> 49:19.360
us and we honor these heroes to inspire

49:19.360 --> 49:23.050
future generations . May we all find

49:23.050 --> 49:25.930
the courage to live up to the example

49:25.930 --> 49:29.040
that they have set . May we all find

49:29.040 --> 49:32.160
the commitment to serve and defend our

49:32.160 --> 49:35.010
republic and may we all find the

49:35.010 --> 49:38.290
dedication and duty to our democracy

49:39.070 --> 49:41.500
that these heroes have shown .

49:44.270 --> 49:46.240
May God bless our Medal , Medal of

49:46.240 --> 49:50.090
Honor recipients and those who serve

49:50.090 --> 49:53.900
alongside them and all who love them .

49:54.670 --> 49:55.900
Thank you very much .

50:09.860 --> 50:12.150
Secretary were meth General Milley ,

50:12.160 --> 50:15.200
General martin , Miss Naomi Valeria and

50:15.200 --> 50:18.410
Miss Ashley Axon stress head will now

50:18.410 --> 50:20.960
join Secretary Austin on stage for the

50:20.960 --> 50:23.016
induction ceremony of Staff Sergeant

50:23.016 --> 50:24.980
Edward N Kenichiro .

50:28.060 --> 50:30.116
Ladies and gentlemen , please remain

50:30.116 --> 50:32.004
seated during the presentations .

51:11.360 --> 51:13.471
The President of the United States of

51:13.471 --> 51:15.430
America authorized by the Act of

51:15.430 --> 51:19.000
Congress . March 3 18 63

51:19.010 --> 51:21.500
has post humorously awarded in the name

51:21.500 --> 51:24.370
of Congress the medal of honor to Staff

51:24.370 --> 51:27.220
Sergeant Edward in Kenshiro , United

51:27.220 --> 51:30.400
States Army for conspicuous gallantry

51:30.410 --> 51:32.700
and intrepidity at the risk of his life

51:32.710 --> 51:34.710
above and beyond the call of duty .

51:35.760 --> 51:38.530
Staff Sergeant Edward N Kenichiro

51:38.540 --> 51:40.373
distinguished himself by acts of

51:40.373 --> 51:42.860
gallantry and intrepidity above and

51:42.860 --> 51:44.971
beyond the call of duty while serving

51:45.050 --> 51:47.430
as an infantry squad leader with Troop

51:47.430 --> 51:50.770
C First Squadron , ninth Cavalry ,

51:50.780 --> 51:52.880
first Cavalry division near future .

51:52.880 --> 51:55.640
Who to kim Sun Valley , Republic of

51:55.640 --> 51:58.690
Vietnam on one December 1966 ,

51:59.860 --> 52:01.693
not knowing that the village was

52:01.693 --> 52:03.916
heavily fortified with a fully buggered

52:03.916 --> 52:05.990
and concealed a trench system and

52:05.990 --> 52:08.200
garrisoned by north Vietnamese troops

52:08.230 --> 52:11.140
in vastly superior force . Two squads

52:11.150 --> 52:13.094
of the platoon had deployed to its

52:13.094 --> 52:15.670
center while staff Sergeant Kaneshiro

52:15.680 --> 52:17.680
and his squad scouted the more open

52:17.680 --> 52:19.736
terrain to the east of the village ,

52:20.550 --> 52:22.661
sensing the opportunity to ambush the

52:22.661 --> 52:25.010
infantry squads , the entrenched enemy

52:25.010 --> 52:27.060
force erupted with machine gun and

52:27.060 --> 52:29.630
small arms fire against the two squads

52:29.630 --> 52:31.797
at the center of the village , killing

52:31.797 --> 52:33.963
the platoon leader and the point man ,

52:33.963 --> 52:35.580
wounding four others , then

52:35.580 --> 52:37.747
successfully suppressing the surviving

52:37.747 --> 52:40.930
soldiers . Staff Sergeant Kenichiro

52:40.940 --> 52:43.107
moved with his men to the sound of the

52:43.107 --> 52:45.630
fire , swiftly reading the situation ,

52:45.820 --> 52:47.876
saying that the fire from the trench

52:47.876 --> 52:49.820
had to be stopped if anyone was to

52:49.820 --> 52:51.987
survive , he first deployed his men to

52:51.987 --> 52:54.153
cover , then crawled forward to attack

52:54.153 --> 52:56.510
the enemy force alone . He began by

52:56.510 --> 52:58.454
throwing grenades from the parapet

52:58.454 --> 53:00.232
while flattened to the ground ,

53:00.232 --> 53:02.454
successfully throwing the first grenade

53:02.454 --> 53:04.510
through the aperture of the bunker ,

53:04.510 --> 53:06.677
eliminating the machine gunner who had

53:06.677 --> 53:09.130
opened the action with five grenades

53:09.130 --> 53:11.297
remaining and his rifle to sustain his

53:11.297 --> 53:13.490
assault . Staff Sergeant Kaneshiro

53:13.500 --> 53:15.500
jumped into the trench to sweep its

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length where it fronted the two pandas

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squads Over the distance of about 35 m ,

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he worked the ditch alone , destroying

53:23.730 --> 53:25.952
one enemy group with rifle fire and two

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others with grenades . By the end of

53:28.600 --> 53:30.950
his sweep , the able bodied survivors

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of the two squads were again standing

53:33.071 --> 53:35.016
and preparing to move the dead and

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wounded . Staff Sergeant Kenny Xiros

53:37.280 --> 53:39.910
actions enabled the orderly extraction

53:39.920 --> 53:42.100
and reorganization of the platoon

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ultimately led to successful withdrawal

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from the village . Staff . Sergeant

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Kenneth heroes , conspicuous gallantry

53:49.417 --> 53:51.639
and uncommon heroism under fire were in

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keeping with the highest traditions of

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military service and reflect great

53:55.750 --> 53:58.330
credit upon himself . His unit and the

53:58.330 --> 53:59.497
United States Army .

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Mhm . Mhm .

54:50.040 --> 54:52.190
At this time the Medal of Honor flag

54:52.190 --> 54:55.560
will be presented on 23 october 2000

54:55.560 --> 54:58.860
and two . Public law one oh 7248 .

54:58.950 --> 55:02.190
Section 81 43 Established the Medal of

55:02.190 --> 55:04.610
Honor flag to recognize service members

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who have distinguished themselves by

55:06.676 --> 55:09.020
gallantry in action above and beyond

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the call of duty . The Medal of Honor

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flag commemorates the sacrifice and

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bloodshed for our freedoms and gives

55:15.940 --> 55:18.107
emphasis to the Medal of Honor , being

55:18.107 --> 55:19.996
the highest award for valor by an

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individual serving in the armed forces

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of the United States . The light blue

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color with gold fringe bearing 13 white

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stars are adapted from the Medal of

55:29.910 --> 55:30.910
Honor ribbon .

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Thank you , Miss Naomi Valeria and Miss

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Axon shelter

56:37.940 --> 56:40.260
Specialist five Dwight Birdwell .

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Please join secretary Austin .

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Secretary Wilmoth , General Milley and

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General Martin for the induction

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ceremony . Ladies and gentlemen ,

56:49.100 --> 56:50.878
please remain seated during the

56:50.878 --> 56:51.240
presentation