Medic Who Earned Medal of Honor in Vietnam Dies
Thu, 05/20/2021 - 15:02
Retired Lt. Col. Charles Hagemeister, a combat medic who received the Medal of Honor for saving wounded soldiers during a fierce firefight in Vietnam, died May 19 in Leavenworth, Kansas. He was 74.
Hagemeister, who at the time was a specialist fourth class after being drafted in 1966, was awarded the nation's highest military honor for his actions on March 20, 1967, when his platoon was sent to secure the village of Tan An and prevent the escape of North Vietnamese regulars, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
Their unit, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, “suddenly came under heavy attack from three sides by an enemy force occupying well-concealed, fortified positions and supported by machine guns and mortars,” Hagemeister’s Medal of Honor citation reads.
https://www.ausa.org/news/medic-who-earned-medal-honor-vietnam-dies
