James McCloughan

On July 31, 2017 President Donald J. Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to former Spc. 5 James McCloughan during a White House ceremony, for his actions during the Vietnam War.

McCloughan, a medic, was one of 89 Soldiers in Company C, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 196th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division who fought on Nui Yon Hill, near the city of Tam Kỳ, from May 13 to 15, 1969.

Within minutes of landing there on May 13, 2,000 enemy soldiers had the unit surrounded and two of the unit’s helicopters were shot down. Seeing a badly wounded Soldier lying in an open field, McCloughan blazed through 100 meters of enemy fire to carry the Soldier to safety.

Throughout the course of the fight, McCloughan suffered multiple wounds but continued to provide medical care to his fallen comrades despite his commanding officer ordering him to leave the fight on a medevac. Over the course of the 3-day firefight, McCloughan rescued 10 American Soldiers and tended to the wounds of countless others.