John Bahnsen - Legacy

Legacy

Doc Bahnsen's leadership and exploits in combat are the stuff of legend. "Fight fiercely", was not only his admonition to his soldiers, it was symbolic of how he took the fight to the enemy when the enemy didn't come looking for a fight. All said, he unequivocally earned his reputation as one of the boldest, bravest, and most bodacious soldiers to have ever worn the uniform of the U.S. Army. Indeed, Bahnsen's hard-won, well-deserved medals of valor for his combat actions and leadership in Vietnam made him one of the most highly decorated officers of that war. Those medals include: The Distinguished Service Cross, five Silver Stars, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Bronze Stars with Valor device, three Air Medals with Valor device, the Army Commendation Medal with Valor device, two Purple Hearts, and two Republic of Vietnam Crosses of Gallantry with Silver Star. Additionally, He was awarded numerous medals for meritorious achievement in combat. Those medals include; the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, forty-eight Air Medals, a Navy Unit Commendation Medal, and a Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal. In addition to his medals awarded for valor and meritorious service in combat, Bahnsen was awarded three Legions of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, and three Army Commendation Medals for meritorious service during peacetime assignments.

After retirement, General Bahnsen was awarded the The Honorable Order of St. George, Gold Medallion, by the U.S. Army Armor Association; The Order of Military Medical Merit, by the Army Medical Department; The Honorable Order of St. Michael, Bronze Medallion, by the Army Aviation Association of America,and The Honorable Order of St. Barbara, by the U.S. Army Field Artillery Association; and he was elected into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame by the Army Aviation Association of America.

In addition to awards and medals, Doc Bahnsen is remembered for his sterling contributions to the army he served for thirty years. Among them, he participated in the development of gunship techniques and tactics, scripted and directed How-To-Fight films, oversaw the development of How-To-Fight manuals and booklets, authored numerous articles on leadership, played a key role in the establishment of the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, and served as the Training and Doctrine Command's first Program Manager for Attack Helicopters.

Doc and his brother and sole sibling, retired Lieutenant Colonel Peter Bahnsen (USMA,1958), are rugby enthusiasts. To that end, they established a perpetual fund for The Bahnsen Pistol Award, awarded annually to the captain of West Point's rugby team in honor of their parents. The USMA class of 1956 funded the building of the Bahnsen Conference Room in the Anderson Rugby Complex at West Point in honor of their classmate and lifelong friend, Doc Bahnsen.

In the concluding paragraphs of American Warrior, New York Times bestselling author Wess Roberts, who served with Bahnsen at the U.S. Army Combat Arms Training Board and collaborated with Bahnsen in writing his memoir, summed up his respect for Doc thusly:

"In James 1:17, the apostle James wrote, 'Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.' Doc Bahnsen came into this world gifted with an aptitude for soldiering and leading and he perfected that gift exceptionally well. His life's calling was that of a warrior, and he fulfilled that calling honorably, even though it came at a high cost to his personal life.

Legends are inseparable from myths. Doc's story is truly legendary, and I have heard many myths about it over the years since I first met him. Nevertheless, the truth of his flamboyant feats and daring deeds makes his legend greater than any myth I have heard about him.

Mythical military heroes are often made out as larger-than-life figures who are fierce fighters, brave beyond compare, invincible in battle, loyal to their soldiers, faithful to their duty, defenders of their country, yet cursed with a weakness for beautiful women. Grounded in real deeds, it is no exaggeration to say Doc Bahnsen was all these things and more as an American warrior."