Dustoff!

I see where LTC(R) Bruce Crandall was awarded the Metal of Honor at a White House ceremony recently. Then MAJ Crandall was the guy depicted in the 2002 movie "We Were Soldiers".

For many Americans, the Huey helicopter hovering above a landing zone came to be an icon of the Vietnam unpleasantness. Ferrying supplies into a battle or braving hostile fire to bring out the wounded, the sight of a Huey was a great comfort to the soldiers on the ground and came to symbolize the conflict that flickered across the television of us at home.

The citation reads, in part:

While medical evacuation was not his mission, he immediately sought volunteers and with complete disregard for his own personal safety, led the two aircraft to Landing Zone X-Ray. Despite the fact that the landing zone was still under relentless enemy fire, Major Crandall landed and proceeded to supervise the loading of seriously wounded soldiers aboard his aircraft. Major Crandall's voluntary decision to land under the most extreme fire instilled in the other pilots the will and spirit to continue to land their own aircraft, and in the ground forces the realization that they would be resupplied and that friendly wounded would be promptly evacuated. This greatly enhanced morale and the will to fight at a critical time. After his first medical evacuation, Major Crandall continued to fly into and out of the landing zone throughout the day and into the evening. That day he completed a total of 22 flights, most under intense enemy fire, retiring from the battlefield only after all possible service had been rendered to the Infantry battalion. His actions provided critical resupply of ammunition and evacuation of the wounded.

I am in awe of such men. This award is long overdue.