Biden Awards Medal of Honor to 4 Vietnam Veterans
Published Date: 7/5/2022
Source: Bloomberg Quicktake: Now
President Joe Biden on Tuesday bestowed the nation's highest military honor to four Army soldiers for their heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Vietnam War. Biden presented the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Edward N. Kaneshiro, Specialist Five Dwight W. Birdwell, Specialist Five Dennis M. Fujii, and retired Major John J. Duffy. Speaking in the East Room of the White House, Biden praised their heroism and lamented that they hadn't received appropriate recognition until now. “Not every service member has received the full recognition they deserve,” Biden said. “Today, we're setting the record straight." Recounting their battlefield service, Biden said they “went far and above the call of duty." “More than 50 years have passed since the jungles of Vietnam,” Biden added. “But time has not diminished their bravery.” Kaneshiro died in 1967 of a gunshot wound in Vietnam and is being given the award posthumously for a Dec. 1, 1966 raid, where his unit came under fire by North Vietnamese troops. His actions were credited with helping his unit withdraw from the village where they were fighting. Birdwell, now a lawyer in Oklahoma City, was honored for his actions in helping to head off an assault and evacuate wounded at Tan Son Nhut Airbase near Saigon on January 31, 1968, despite injuries to his torso and face. Fujii was presented with the medal for actions over four days in February 1971 treating wounded and directing air strikes against enemy positions after his air ambulance was forced to crash land. Duffy's award is for leading troops who came under ambush after their commander was killed in action, repelling attackers and evacuating wounded, despite his own injuries. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Subscribe to our newest channel Quicktake Explained: https://bit.ly/3iERrup Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake