Vietnam War
The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the American War, occurred from 1959 to April 30, 1975. The term Vietnam Conflict is often used to refer to events which took place between 1959 and April 30, 1975. The war was fought between the Communist-supported Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the United States supported Republic of Vietnam. It concluded with the defeat and failure of the United States foreign policy in Vietnam. On April 30, 1975, the capital of South Vietnam, Saigon fell to the communist forces of North Vietnam, effectively ending the Vietnam War. Over 8.7 million U.S. forces participated in the Vietnam War; of whom slightly over 47,000 were killed in battle and almost 11,000 more died of non-battle causes.
During the Vietnam War three Asian Americans received the Medal of Honor, all of them posthumously. Elmelindo Smith, although wounded multiple times was killed while fighting with his unit. Terry Kawamura sacrificed his life by jumping on an explosive charge, saving the lives of two other soldiers, and Rodney Yano sacrificed his life by throwing burning ammunition off of a helicopter after a grenade exploded prematurely.
This with the * indicates that the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously
| Image | Name | Service | Rank | Date of action | Place of action | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawamura, Terry TeruoTerry Teruo Kawamura* | Army | E-04 !Corporal | 01969-03-20March 20, 1969 | Camp Radcliff, Republic of Vietnam | 173rd Engineer Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade | Smothered the blast of an explosive charge with his body | |
| Smith, ElmelindoElmelindo Smith* | Army | E-06 !Staff Sergeant | 01967-02-16February 16, 1967 | Republic of Vietnam | 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division | Continued to organize his unit's defense after being repeatedly and mortally wounded | |
| Yano, RodneyRodney Yano* | Army | E-07 !Sergeant First Class | 01969-01-01January 1, 1969 | near Bien Hao, Republic of Vietnam | Air Cavalry Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment | Grabbed burning ammunition and threw it from the aircraft after being seriously wounded in a premature grenade explosion aboard a helicopter |
Read more about this topic: List Of Asian American Medal Of Honor Recipients
Famous quotes containing the words vietnam war, vietnam and/or war:
“No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now.”
—Richard M. Nixon (b. 1913)
“Above all, Vietnam was a war that asked everything of a few and nothing of most in America.”
—Myra MacPherson, U.S. author. Long Time Passing: Vietnam and the Haunted Generation, epilogue (1984)
“At Flores in the Azores Sir Richard Grenville lay,
And a pinnace, like a fluttered bird, came flying from far away:
‘Spanish ships of war at sea! we have sighted fifty-three!’”
—Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)