Army hero receives Medal of Honor
Michigan man who saved 10 members of his platoon during Vietnam War battle is given the highest military award
President Trump awarded James McCloughan of South Haven, Mich., the Medal of Honor on Monday afternoon for bravery displayed on a battlefield in Vietnam 48 years ago when he repeatedly risked his own life to save others.
“We honor you, we salute you and with God as your witness, we thank you for all that you have done for us,” said Trump as he awarded McCloughan, 71, the nation’s highest military award.
McCloughan — who was a private first class when the events occurred and rose to the rank of specialist 5 before returning to Michigan to become a beloved teacher and coach — looked emotional after Trump clasped the award around his neck, saying, “Thank you” to the president. After a handshake, the two men embraced.
As a medic at the Battle of Nui Yon Hill in May 1969, McCloughan saved 10 members of his platoon, rushing back again and again onto the battlefield to save other soldiers despite his own injuries from a battle that lasted two days.
Five of those he saved were in attendance, as was his family, Trump said.
“It was as if the strength and the pride of our whole nation were beating inside Jim’s heart,” Trump said as he described McCloughan’s repeated attempts to rescue the wounded. “He just kept on going.”
It was Trump’s first awarding of the medal, and he appeared subdued and grateful to McCloughan, who stood near him throughout the ceremony. Also attending were newly installed White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other members of the president’s Cabinet and staff.
Trump noted that McCloughan’s father, who worked in a piano factory, first told McCloughan to “never do anything halfway.”
Trump described the man his platoon called “Doc” as “a veteran who went above and beyond the call of duty to protect our comrades, our country and our freedom.”
Eight other Medal of Honor winners were in attendance at the ceremony in the East Room of the White House.
Trump said McCloughan’s name “will stand forever alongside theirs in our history and in our hearts.”
Speaking briefly outside the White House after the ceremony, McCloughan read a prepared statement in which he called the honor “humbling ” and said the love he and his other platoonmates had for each other kept him going on the battlefield nearly a half-century ago.
“My heart goes out to the families of those men and women (who never returned from battle) because they have an empty chair at every holiday and family celebration,” said McCloughan, who did not take questions from reporters.
McCloughan had received several decorations associated with his bravery, including the Combat Medical Badge, two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars. The Medal of Honor generally must be awarded within five years of the actions that warrant it, seemingly making him ineligible for the honor.
Several years ago, McCloughan’s platoon leader, Randy Clark, began trying to get him the award. Eventually, the Department of Defense agreed he was deserving — but it required an act of Congress last year to waive the time limit. President Obama signed the act, making McCloughan eligible before he left office this year.
McCloughan was a 23-year-old Army draftee during the bloody, two-day battle near Don Que.