It may have come late, but at least the day arrived. On September 15th, almost 50 years after the early days of the Vietnam conflict, U.S. President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Bennie Adkins and posthumously to Specialist Donald Sloat.
In 1966, U.S. Green Berets, which included Sgt. Bennie G. Adkins, were engaged in heavy combat with North Vietnamese troops along the Ho Chi Minh trail. Adkins and his squad became pinned down on a hilltop in central Vietnam in March of that year and over a four-day period, Adkins and the Green Berets fought fiercely to defend their position against vastly superior enemy numbers.
As the battle raged, Adkins repeatedly ran through enemy fire to help resupply U.S. troops and was credited with dragging wounded U.S. troops to safety as well as other acts of bravery that included saving a rescue helicopter after an enemy soldier attacked.
Adkins stepped in front of the helicopter, blocking the enemy and protecting the wounded.
The Army said Adkins, in addition to saving many of his comrades’ lives, was responsible for killing some 175 enemy troops over the four-day-battle.
On the final night of the battle, a wounded and exhausted Atkins and his men awaited rescue while continuing to defend their position, when, from the darkness of the jungle, the growls of a tiger were heard and the enemy retreated.
Adkins and the U.S. troops, toughed it out and were rescued in the morning.
U.S. Army Specialist Donald Sloat was the same day, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for jumping on a grenade in early 1970.
After being tripped by a fellow soldier on patrol, a booby-trap grenade rolled toward his feet and Sloat quickly decided the only way to save his fellow soldiers was by throwing his own body on to it.
His death saved the lives of three of his comrades.
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