Medal of Honor recipients visit Airmen in Southwest Asia

4/14/2009 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Two Medal of Honor recipients visited with Airmen from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing April 10 here.

Retired Army Col. Robert Howard and retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Littrell, visited as part of a Medal of Honor Society tour of the area of responsibility.

The Vietnam veterans who earned the military's highest award for valor participated in a retreat ceremony, spoke to Airmen and signed autographs.

Colonel Howard said the people of the United States owe a debt to American servicemembers and appreciate their efforts.

"Out of 300 million Americans, we got less than 1 percent that's fighting a war against evil around the world," he told the packed theater. "Now, I'm not going to talk strategy to you, I'm not going talk about good and bad. I'm going to talk about service. I love my great country and I love what you provide for me and I'd like to talk about that."

Medal of Honor Society members travel throughout the United States to speak to groups such as schools about the meaning of service, Colonel Howard said.

"We go around the country, making people aware of your service and saying 'thank you for serving our country,'" he said. "Freedom is not free. You have to earn that, and you earn it for us, so thank you."

Sergeant Major Littrell talked about the battle near Dak Seang, Vietnam, for which his Medal of Honor was awarded. As an adviser with the 23rd Battalion, 2nd Ranger Group of the Republic of Vietnam Army, Sergeant Major Littrell and the South Vietnamese rangers were surrounded and attacked. With the other American troops in the unit were killed or wounded early in the battle, Sergeant Major Littrell was soon the only American Soldier in the unit during a four-day continuous battle.

"We went into a four-day, four-night nonstop battle, and I was the only American left up on the hill," he said. "I wear this medal because the people who were there, listening to the radio communications, the Vietnamese I worked with, felt that I had done something beyond the call of duty. I didn't."

Sergeant Major Littrell went on to explain that the Army and the Air Force working jointly helped get him and the surviving members of his team out of there.

"At the end of that four days, we got an order to withdraw," he said. "I said, 'Now, that's great, but I'm going to need some support.' I had five rounds left in my snubnose .38. We're going to need some ammunition, we're going to need some air support, and we're going to need artillery. We got word, 'Sorry, you're third priority. We've got troops in heavy contact.' But thanks to some helicopter gunships that heard that message, they come back on the air and said, 'Three-Three-Charlie, we've been supporting you for four days and four nights, we'll get you off the hill. If we have a diverted mission, we'll come in and walk off the hill. The fast movers would come in and they were literally blowing holes in front of us. We would move to the crater and the helicopters were running up and down and they walked 43 of us down the hill."

Out of 473 rangers who went up the hill with the American advisers, 43 walked down again.

"Sergeant Major Littrell walked off that hill with 43 people out of 473," Colonel Howard said. "So thanks to our good Air Force and our combat service support, he is able to be here with you today."

Sergeant Major Littrell said with the leadership and quality of servicemember serving today, winning the war against terrorism is only a matter of time.

"We're going to win this war," he said. "It's going to take a while, but we're going to win it. And we're going to win it with good leadership, good generals, good colonels, good senior NCOs and the good servicemembers we have right now."

Since becoming a separate service in 1947, 17 Air Force Airmen have received the Medal of Honor.

For more information, log onto the Medal of Honor Society Web page at http://www.cmohs.org.

HOWARD, ROBERT L.

Rank: First Lieutenant

Organization: U.S. Army

Company:

Division: 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces

Born: 11 July 1939, Opelika, Ala.

Departed: No

Entered Service At: Montgomery, Ala.

G.O. Number:

Date of Issue:

Accredited To:

Place / Date: Republic of Vietnam, 30 December 1968

Citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Lt. Howard (then Sfc .), distinguished himself while serving as platoon sergeant of an American-Vietnamese platoon which was on a mission to rescue a missing American soldier in enemy controlled territory in the Republic of Vietnam. The platoon had left its helicopter landing zone and was moving out on its mission when it was attacked by an estimated 2-company force. During the initial engagement, 1st Lt. Howard was wounded and his weapon destroyed by a grenade explosion. 1st Lt. Howard saw his platoon leader had been wounded seriously and was exposed to fire. Although unable to walk, and weaponless, 1st Lt. Howard unhesitatingly crawled through a hail of fire to retrieve his wounded leader. As 1st Lt. Howard was administering first aid and removing the officer's equipment, an enemy bullet struck 1 of the ammunition pouches on the lieutenant's belt, detonating several magazines of ammunition. 1st Lt. Howard momentarily sought cover and then realizing that he must rejoin the platoon, which had been disorganized by the enemy attack, he again began dragging the seriously wounded officer toward the platoon area. Through his outstanding example of indomitable courage and bravery, 1st Lt. Howard was able to rally the platoon into an organized defense force. With complete disregard for his safety, 1st Lt. Howard crawled from position to position, administering first aid to the wounded, giving encouragement to the defenders and directing their fire on the encircling enemy. For 3 1/2 hours 1st Lt. Howard's small force and supporting aircraft successfully repulsed enemy attacks and finally were in sufficient control to permit the landing of rescue helicopters. 1st Lt. Howard personally supervised the loading of his men and did not leave the bullet-swept landing zone until all were aboard safely. 1st Lt. Howard's gallantry in action, his complete devotion to the welfare of his men at the risk of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

LITTRELL, GARY LEE

Rank: Sergeant First Class

Organization: U.S. Army

Company: Advisory Team 21

Division: U.S. Army Support Command

Born: 26 October 1944, Henderson, Ky.

Departed: No

Entered Service At: Los Angeles, Calif.

G.O. Number:

Date of Issue:

Accredited To:

Place / Date: Kontum province, Republic of Vietnam, 4-8 April 1970

Citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sfc. Littrell, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Advisory Team 21, distinguished himself while serving as a Light Weapons Infantry Advisor with the 23d Battalion, 2d Ranger Group, Republic of Vietnam Army, near Dak Seang. After establishing a defensive perimeter on a hill on April 4, the battalion was subjected to an intense enemy mortar attack which killed the Vietnamese commander, 1 advisor, and seriously wounded all the advisors except Sfc. Littrell. During the ensuing 4 days, Sfc Littrell exhibited near superhuman endurance as he single-handedly bolstered the besieged battalion. Repeatedly abandoning positions of relative safety, he directed artillery and air support by day and marked the unit's location by night, despite the heavy, concentrated enemy fire. His dauntless will instilled in the men of the 23d Battalion a deep desire to resist. Assault after assault was repulsed as the battalion responded to the extraordinary leadership and personal example exhibited by Sfc. Littrell as he continuously moved to those points most seriously threatened by the enemy, redistributed ammunition, strengthened faltering defenses, cared for the wounded and shouted encouragement to the Vietnamese in their own language. When the beleaguered battalion was finally ordered to withdraw, numerous ambushes were encountered. Sfc. Littrell repeatedly prevented widespread disorder by directing air strikes to within 50 meters of their position. Through his indomitable courage and complete disregard for his safety, he averted excessive loss of life and injury to the members of the battalion. The sustained extraordinary courage and selflessness displayed by Sfc. Littrell over an extended period of time were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him and the U.S. Army.

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