heavy
machine gun
and small arms
fire. With rounds impacting all around him,
Lieutenant Conner calmly directed multiple fire
missions, adjusting round after round of artillery
from his prone position, until the enemy was forced
to halt its advance and seek cover behind a nearby
dike. For three hours, Lieutenant Conner remained in
this compromised position, enduring the repeated
onslaught of German infantry which, at one point,
advanced to within five yards of his position. As
German infantry regrouped and began to mass in an
overwhelming assault, Lieutenant Conner ordered
friendly artillery to concentrate directly on his
own position, having resolved to die if necessary,
to destroy the enemy advance. Ignoring the
friendly artillery shells blanketing his position
and exploding mere feet from him, Lieutenant
Conner continued to direct artillery fire on
the enemy assault swarming around him
until the German attack was finally broken.
By his heroism and disregard for his own
life, Lieutenant Conner stopped the
enemy advance. The artillery he expertly
directed, while under constant enemy
fire, killed approximately fifty German
soldiers and wounded an estimated one
hundred more, preventing what would have
undoubtedly been heavy friendly casualties. His
actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of
military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the
3d Infantry Division, and the United States Army.
US Army photo by C. Todd Lopez.
President Donald Trump places the Medal of Honor around
the neck of Captain Mike Rose, during a 23 October 2017
ceremony at the White House, in Washington, DC. US Army
Photo by C Todd Lopez.
SERGEANT
GARY M. ROSE
UNITED STATES ARMY
Sergeant Gary M. Rose distinguished himself by acts of
gallantry and intrepidity while serving as a Special Forces
Medic with a company-sized exploitation force, Special
Operations Augmentation, Command and Control Central,
5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces,
Republic of Vietnam. Between 11 and 14 September 1970,
Sergeant Rose’s company was continuously engaged by a
well-armed and numerically superior hostile force deep in
enemy-controlled territory. Enemy B-40 rockets and mortar
rounds rained down while the adversary sprayed the area
with small arms and machine gun fire, wounding many and
forcing everyone to seek cover. Sergeant Rose, braving the
hail of bullets, sprinted fifty meters to a wounded soldier’s
side. He then used his own body to protect the casualty from
further injury while treating his wounds. After stabilizing the
casualty, Sergeant Rose carried him through the bullet-ridden
combat zone to protective cover. As the enemy accelerated
the attack, Sergeant Rose continuously exposed himself to
ARMY 245: Call to Duty 91