A Brief History
On December 5, 1964, Captain Roger Donlon, US Army Special Forces, became the first Army Special Forces member (ever) and the first US military person to earn a Medal of Honor in the Viet Nam War.
Digging Deeper
Donlon took a roundabout path to his moment of greatness, being born in Saugerties, New York among 10 children in 1934. Donlon joined the Air Force in 1953 after a year at the New York State College of Forestry, and was appointed to West Point in 1955. For personal reasons Donlon quit West Point, but enlisted in the Army in 1958, then went to Officer Candidate School to receive a commission as a second lieutenant.
Donlon then joined the Special Forces in 1963, and found himself in Viet Nam in 1964 when he defended a small US/South Vietnamese installation against an attack by a much greater force. Donlon ran all over the battlefield under fire of small arms and grenades, and despite a serious stomach wound continued to personally fight and lead his men. Hit again in the shoulder, Donlon not only killed numerous enemy soldiers, but also rescued injured Americans under fire, and then retrieved much needed ammunition while under fire, receiving a third wound, this time to a leg.
Incredibly, Donlon kept energetically leading the defense despite serious wounds and having to drag himself around. When he dragged himself 175 yards to a mortar pit to direct fire on the enemy, he was wounded yet again, this time in the face and body by shrapnel. Still not out of action, the critically wounded hero organized a reconstituted defense when the enemy retreated, and tended to the wounds of others before his own wounds.
On December 5, 1964 the authorization for the Medal of Honor came through, and the Medal was awarded in a ceremony on December 17, 1964. Not content with mere battlefield heroics, Donlon completed his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Nebraska in 1967, and reached the rank of Colonel before retiring from the Army in 1988. He has written 2 books about his wartime experience and lives with his wife and family in Kansas.
If there was ever a question about what a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine has to do to earn a Medal of Honor, we would direct the inquiring person to read the Medal of Honor citation of this great American hero.
Colonel Donlon, we thank you for your service and WE SALUTE YOU!
Question for students (and subscribers): Has anyone in your family ever received a Medal of Honor? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Donlon, Capt. Roger H. C. and Gen. William C. Westmoreland. Beyond Nam Dong. R and N Publishers, 1998.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="12370 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=12370">85 Comments
I think of the Bible verse that says, “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Even though this man did not die, thankfully, he attended to the needs of others before worrying about himself and that is incredibly honorable.
He was so brave to continue fighting despite his injuries. He deserved that medal.
His strength is unbelievable. Not only was he seriously injured, but he also continued to risk his life to save others.
It is incredible that despite his injuries he continued to fight and even help other soldiers before he helped himself.
The he truly deserved the Medal of Honor
I think her deserved the medal from all the brutality he went through, he’s an inspiration!
Amazing story of a brave and honorable man. Unbelievable that he survived what he survived.
Its incredible that he continued to fight after he was seriously injured.
It must have felt great being the first one to earn such a distinguishable award. He most definitely deserved it.
He definitely deserved the medal but we should have never been in the war in the first place
Donlon was very deserving of his medal.
This poor man! He was wounded several times by saving these fellow solders. Saying he deserves a medal is the least they could do for his actions.
I found it incredible by how Donlon kept energetically leading the defense despite all of his serious wounds and having to drag his body around. That is true dedication. He probably wanted his last moments on earth to stand for something important.
Donlon definitely deserved the medal.
Donlon’s actions were a display of great initiative and devotion for our country.
Donlon is a very honorable man and definitely deserved to be awarded the Medal of Honor. It takes a lot of courage to continue to fight after being injured in three different locations and also still try to rescue other injured Americans.
Colonel Donlon was an example of an outstanding soldier and hero. To be injured many times and still kept going Wow!
Such a wonderful example of American heroism. It is remarkable to see someone work so hard to put others first before his own wellbeing.
Donlon’s action show true heroism, respect and honor. He truely did earn the Medal of Honor for all of his accomplishments of rescuing many injured Americans.
Colonel Donlon was a great example of a soldier and a war hero, it’s fascinating to think that he was wounded and injured so many times but still kept going!
Donlon went through so many different hardships and conquered so much, he definitely deserved that medal!
The fact that Donlon could still fight with being wounded multiple times is astounding. He not only killed enemies but rescued American soldiers as well. His well-rounded capabilities truly make him the perfect match for a Medal of Honor.
some battles would never have been won without amazing actions like this
this man is a true American hero.
Donlon was very deserving of the Medal of Honor! I can’t imagine how he was able to continue fighting with those injuries and definitely is a resilient man.
Donlon for sure deserved the medal. He went through so much.
175 yards of dragging himself must have been tiring, but especially with being wounded as well.
It is awesome that Donlon got the Medal of Honor! He was so brave!
I am happy that he received the recognition he deserved. I would be interested to read his books.
Although Donlon had a rough start when he dropped out of West Point, the military became his entire life. He even wrote books about his life in the war.
He is a man full of courage and determination.
Overall, I really look up Donlon for achieving the medal of honor. I have the upmost respect for the brave men and women who sacrifice for their country every single day.
I found it interesting that Donlon was the first to receive the Medal of Honor. I have always thought that honors like these were always a thing, even way back, but it is cool to hear where they really came from.
This was a very special moment. It had to be an honor to receive the first medal of honor. I never stopped to think who it was that they gave the first one ever to. This was an awesome read.
Donlon was very deserving of the first medal of honor! I did not realize that these were not given out before him.
Quite impressive. Leadership and adrenaline can go a long way.
Donlon was a good leader. In addition, he was also a hero. He was worth to get the Medal of Honor. It is a good article.
Dolon was so brave. He deserved to get the Medal of Honor.
It was great reading about another heroic person that actually did the right thing. Donlon earned the Medal of Honor.
This is a truly strong soldier and leader that represents the American military greatly. He truly earned his Medal of Honor and then some.
This was an incredible story of a truly selfless soldier, and it goes without saying that he deserved this award! After sustaining multiple injuries, he did not give up on serving his country and helping his men. Hands down, a true war hero!
It was really interesting to read about this. He deserved his award.
I think the man deserved the award and so do many other soldiers
What an incredible man! He definitely deserved the Medal of Honor and to make it home to complete more education!
donald is very honor person
What an amazing soldier, and a great definition of one. Stories like these are why we should provide more provisions for American Soldiers.
Well deserved award. The way he continued to fight even after he was shot. What a career and life.
It looks like I may have to get his books and do some more reading.
For every one soldier that receives the recognition they deserve, there are a thousand others that remain in the shadows. Heroics such as these are truly inspiring.
Donion was a true war hero. What a great military career he had!
Love to hear great stories like this. The service men and women are so brace for fighting for their country.
What a great read on one of the heroes who fight for our freedom. Not only these soldiers but a great way to show a heroic example of perseverance.
I find it highly respectable that he was selfless enough to tend to other people’s wounds before his own, even though he was critically injured.
Rescuing injured Americans while under fire takes a lot of strength and courage. I’m very glad we have people like this serving our country, they deserve to be recognized.
Captain Roger Donlon was one tough guy! Being the first soldier to win a medal of honor during the Vietnam war is quite an accomplishment.
That is a true hero he was wounded in the stomach and again shot in the shoulder but kept fighting and save several lives.
As a former military person, we call that kind of bravery warrior ethos. Warrior Ethos is the ability to keep on going during selfless service.
What a great accomplishment and patriotic life to live. Brave and smart is a great combination.
What a a great accomplishment to receive.
He is a true hero and I bet if you ask him if he did it for a medal, he would tell you “No, I did it for men to right and left of me, (comrades)”.
What Captain Roger Donlon did was truly amazing. It was hard for our soldiers to win any battle in Vietnam when facing guerrilla war tactics and having to fight an enemy that had support of the locals. For him to drive off that force against such odds and while being wounded twice is nothing short of amazing.
Captain Roger Donlon was a true hero. Donlon had an excessive amount of courage to keep going on leading his men despite being wounded.
It is clear as to why this hero earned the Medal of Honor. The things that he did to ensure that the people around him were safe and he kept fighting while taking on all that enemy fire is amazing as a true hero.
What a truly honorable man and soldier. He surely deserved the award of Medal of Honor.
He’s a true honorable man, could you imagine dragging yourself wounded in a war ?
I have great respect for anyone who has served in the military honorably. My grandfather served in the Navy during World War II, my fiancée served in the Air Force, and our nephew served in the Army. So, I have been around veterans all of my life. It would be difficult to imagine what Colonel Roger Donlon went through in Vietnam in 1964. Defending and leading his men after being wounded several times, and still pulled himself almost 200 yards into a mortar pit to continue fighting. Being badly wounded, he put together a rebuilt defense while the enemy was running away. Afterwards, he attended to the wounds of his men before tending to his own. After enduring that battle, that showed me that he deserved the Medal of Honor that he was awarded on December 17, 1964 by President Johnson.
I get a little muscle cramp in my calf and I’m down for a good half hour, this man took three bullets and kept going, then got hit with shrapnel, and kept going. Incredible!!!!
Captain Roger Donlon is a true hero and a honorable man. Many men could not or would not push themselves to continue on and fight with just one wound. Captain Donlon not only continued to fight with one would but he continued with multiple wounds. He was awarded the Medal of Honor and he is well deserving.
What an amazing strong willed man, he was a true hero willing to continue on through unimaginable pain. It is a great thing that he was honored and given the medal of honor.
It’s astounding what some soldiers are able to accomplish on the battlefield, and Colonel Donlon’s feats are no exception. As somebody who has never endured anything that might even be close to the physical and psychological stress he experienced in that battle, I can only imagine what it must have felt like to make it through and force the enemy to retreat. At a time when “heroism” is a label that is used more than it probably should be, Donlon is the definition of a true American hero.
The fact that this man helped other wounded people and he was wounded himself but he put them first truly amazing.
You don’t typically hear as much about heroes in the Vietnam war because it was so controversial. I am glad Donlon was awarded the credit that was due. I called off work because my allergies were too bad last week. This guy makes us all look like wimps!
It is amazing what the human body is capable of doing. Many of the American soldiers did not believe in the war, so it’s nice to see those that gave their all in the war get some respect. Kudos Captain Donlon, way to put other lives in front of yours.
A very honorable man and solider!
He truly was a hero. With three bullets sunk in him and littered with shrapnel and still tending to other wounded vets, that is a hero for sure.
Why the first Army Special Forces member to ever receive a medal of honor? This man has an intense way of living his life. It is nice to hear that he survived and went on to do more positive things in life.
Wow! what a great man, and soldier.
I have always admire soldiers because they are doing something I know for a fact I could not do. This man is very honerable.
he was a greater soldier for his country.
great man
Donlon was a great special forces, whenI was young, I want to be a special force as well, I just like how military life it is.
Wow! I couldn’t imagine doing all he did while injured as much as he was. He definitely deserved this particular medal, hands down!
I have always had great admiration for soldiers for putting their life on the front line. As personally I could not do it knowing I may not come back home to my family.
I believe that it is important to hear about stories like these. War seems to bring out the very best and the very worst of humanity.
Donlon is a true hero! Not only did he kill enemy soldiers, but he went back into open fire to save his fellow American soldiers and was injured because of it. We need more stories of bravery like this.