TRAGIC GIs’ WAIT FOR HELP
Medal honor for a secret hero
President Trump awarded the Medal of Honor Monday to a Green Beret medic for bravery during a secret operation to Laos during the Vietnam War.
Retired Capt. Gary “Mike” Rose, 70, earned the medal for his courage and lifesaving actions during a four-day mission called Operation Tailwind, which was kept secret for decades.
“For many years, the story of Mike’s heroism has gone untold,” Trump said at a White House ceremony. “But today we gather to tell the world of his valor.”
Rose was responsible for providing medical care to American soldiers and indigenous paramilitary Montagnard personnel in the face of enemy fire. In all, he is credited with treating 60 to 70 wounded personnel and saving many lives.
The Huntsville, Ala., native enlisted in 1967 and served in the Army for 20 years.
Soon after Rose’s company-size force arrived in Chavane, Laos, on Sept. 11, 1970, they were under attack from the North Vietnamese forces. Rose was injured when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded and shrapnel struck his back and leg, crippling his foot. Using a stick as a crutch, he con- tinued to treat the wounded.
“Mike did not stop to eat, to sleep or even to care for his own serious injury as he saved the lives of his fellow soldiers,” Trump said, noting Rose was the only medic on the mission.
On the fourth day, Rose and his fellow soldiers were evacuated under enemy fire.
But the chopper’s engines went out at 4,500 feet and crashed. Rose continued to work by treating a Marine who had been shot in the neck and pulling fellow servicemen from the burning wreck until another helicopter arrived.