Cherokee receives Medal of Honor: ‘Taking orders and causing trouble’
Pauly Denetclaw - Yesterday 2:30 PM
After more than 50 years, Dwight Birdwell receives the highest military decoration for his acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty
It was January 31, 1968, Dwight Birdwell was a Specialist Five in the Army, fighting in the Vietnam War. There was a large enemy attack on the Tan Son Nhut Airbase near Saigon. Many of the unit’s vehicles were either disabled or destroyed. One of the first to respond to the attack was Birdwell.
“He knew his vehicle was the first line of defense. So, Birdwell stood in his Commander’s hatch, half exposed, at times standing entirely out of the tank, fully exposed, laying down suppressive fire on the enemy,” President Joe Biden said during the White House ceremony Tuesday.
Under heavy fire, Birdwell, who is Cherokee, was able to move his tank commander and fire the tank’s weapon at enemy forces. Once his tank was incapacitated he continued fighting. He was eventually wounded but refused evacuation. Instead he led a small group of defenders to disrupt enemy attack until reinforcements could arrive.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/cherokee-receives-medal-of-honor-taking-orders-and-causing-trouble/ar-AAZeh9u?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=112416aa4def42d086750f60595559c4
