President Biden awards Medal of Honor to seven Army veterans

Private Bruno Orig, Private First Class Wataru Nakamura, Corporal Fred McGee, Private First Class Charles Johnson, retired General Richard Cavazos, Captain Hugh Nelson, Jr., and Specialist Fourth Class Kenneth David were all honored.

"These are genuine to their core heroes. Heroes of different ranks, different positions, and even different generations. But heroes who all went above and beyond the call of duty. Heroes who all deserve our nation's highest and oldest military recognition," Biden said.

28-year-old Captain Nelson served as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam war under the 114th aviation company Air Mobile Light. On the fateful day of June 5th, 1966, near Moc Hoa, a rural district in Southern Vietnam, Nelson was the acting aircraft commander on a search and destroy reconnaissance mission. The armed UH-1B Huey helicopter he was flying was struck by hostile gunfire that made the aircraft virtually uncontrollable. Captain Nelson and his co-pilot were able to crash land the aircraft without lateral controls.

But they crash landed right in the middle of enemy positions. The crash destroyed all the weapons on board. Nelson was the first of his crew to gain consciousness. He quickly saw the enemy was surrounding the crash site. Ignoring his own injuries and enemy fire from 30-feet away, Nelson sprang into action and began evacuating his three wounded crew mates-the crew chief, the door gunner, and co-pilot. The crew chief was pinned down in the cargo compartment and the door gunner was trapped in the Huey. With his bare hands, Nelson ripped off one of the helicopter doors to evacuate himself and his crew while insurgents were firing rounds from 30-feet away. Nelson used his own body as a human shield as he lifted the door gunner to the ground and was killed by the gunfire after being shot between six and 20 times while doing so.

Because of Nelson's sacrifice, the wounded specialist was able to signal support with a smoke grenade. Supporting aircraft responded immediately, preventing the insurgents from advancing on the downed aircraft and successfully rescued the three wounded crew members and Captain Nelson's remains.

"Nelson's conscious decision to sacrifice his own life for that of his comrades saved the lives of his three fellow crew members that fateful day," his Medal of Honor citation reads. "Nelson's distinctive accomplishments are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army."

Top Army ROTC Cadet at the Citadel, Tomas Fitzpatrick, attended the ceremony on Friday.

"The sacrifice of Captain Hugh Nelson is a powerful reminder of the values we uphold at The Citadel - honor, duty and respect. As someone who plans to enlist in the U.S. Army after graduation, we all strive to lead with the same bravery and commitment," Fitzpatrick said. Fitzpatrick will be joining the Army infantry after graduation in May. The Citadel's Army ROTC department is one of the largest commissioning sources in the country. 120 Army 2nd lieutenants were commissioned in 2024 alone.

"Captain Hugh Reavis Nelson, Jr. exemplified the highest values of courage, selflessness and leadership that we instill in every Citadel cadet. Nelson's service to his comrades and country remains an enduring inspiration for us all," Citadel President Gen. Glenn Walters said in a statement.