by Svetlana Shkolnikova at Stars and Stripes
One soldier led his unit through a deadly ambush in 1968. Another defended a besieged fire base in 1972. A third directed airstrikes after a crash landing in 1971. And a fourth single-handedly cleared a trench of enemy troops in 1966.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday awarded four Army veterans — Spc. 5th Class Dwight Birdwell, Maj. John J. Duffy, Spc. 5th Class Dennis M. Fujii and Staff Sgt. Edward N. Kaneshiro — the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest recognition for combat valor, for their actions in the Vietnam War.
“It’s just astounding when you hear what each of them had done,” Biden told the 250 guests who gathered for the ceremony in the White House. “They went far above and beyond the call of duty. It’s a phrase always used, but it takes on life when you see these men.”
Each of the men had their previous medals for gallantry upgraded and Kaneshiro, who died during combat in 1967, was honored posthumously. Kaneshiro’s son, John Kaneshiro, accepted the award on behalf of his father…
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