Biden awards Medal of Honor to 4 soldiers for heroism in Vietnam

WASHINGTON (CBS News) — President Biden awarded the Medal of Honor to four U.S. Army soldiers who withstood tenacious fighting in the Vietnam War, recognizing them for their valor during a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday.

The recipients were Staff Sgt. Edward Kaneshiro, Spc. Dwight Birdwell, Spc. Dennis Fujii and Maj. John J. Duffy. Kaneshiro’s medal was awarded posthumously, with his son accepting it on his behalf.

“They stood in the way of danger,” the president said. “Risked everything, literally everything to defend our nation and our values. However, not every service member has received the full recognition they deserve. Today, we’re setting the record straight. We’re upgrading the awards of four soldiers who performed acts of incredible heroism during the Vietnam conflict.”

The men had previously received other medals, but the president upgraded those to the Medal of Honor — the nation’s highest decoration for military service. Mr. Biden recounted the stories of each soldier who valiantly served.

Fujii was in a medevac helicopter that crashed in 1971. Though wounded, he rejected medical aid from another helicopter and worked to treat allied soldiers through the next day.

He put himself in danger to call in U.S. helicopter gunships to repel attacks over the following 17 hours until he could be safely airlifted.

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