Vietnam Vet Awarded Medal of Honor

Today, President Obama awarded Lt. Col. Charles Kettles, a Vietnam vet, with the Medal of honor. Kettles served in the Army, and his actions are credited for saving the lives of 44 soldiers. This act of bravery took place on May 15, 1967, while he was a helicopter commander in the 176th Aviation Company, 14th Combat Aviation Battalion, American Division, near Duc Pho.[caption id="attachment_7001" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Charles Kettles stands in front of a 121st Aviation Company UH-1H Huey helicopter during his second tour of duty in Vietnam in 1969. Source: defense.gov[/caption]That morning, Kettles learned that the 80 soldiers he had just dropped off in a nearby river valley had been ambushed, and were completely surrounded. He and other pilots did their best to help by dropping off reinforcements and evacuating those who were wounded, but by the afternoon it looked completely hopeless. The pilots asked for reinforcements, and went back to pick up the remaining troops.Just after takeoff, Kettles learned that there were some eight men left on the ground. He immediately returned to the landing zone, while under fire, and they dove into the helicopter.There was just one problem; the aircraft was now over it's weight limit by 600 pounds, or just three men."I didn't know if we were going to get out of there," Kettles remembered, “but I was just going to give it my best try."Despite damage to his helicopter's tail boom, main rotor blade and windshields, Kettles managed to escape enemy fire and bring every soldier to safety.According to the Army's statement, Kettles displayed "complete disregard for his own safety" during the mission. "Without his courageous actions and superior flying skills, the last group of soldiers and his crew would never have made it off the battlefield."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6ZlYudcuQY

Despite receiving the honor, Kettles remains humble. In a video released by the U.S. Army, he said this:

"I didn't do it by myself. There were some 74 pilots and crew members involved in this whole mission that day. So it's not just me."

This is not Kettles' only award; according to the Department Of Defense he has also received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and over 27 other air medals while flying over 600 missions during two tours in Vietnam. He has also served in Korea, Japan, and Thailand.

Upon his return to the US, Kettles developed an aviation management program at Eastern Michigan University's College of Technology. He lives with his wife Ann in Ypsilanti, MI.