Trump to award medal of honor to Vietnam veteran

President Trump will award the Medal of Honor to retired Army Capt. Gary M. Rose, a Vietnam War veteran, for risking his life as a medic to provide emergency treatment to his fellow troops. 

Rose, who lives in Huntsville, Ala., is expected to receive the nation’s highest military honor on Oct. 23, the White House said in a statement on Wednesday.

Rose was awarded the nation’s second highest medal for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross, in 1971. Members of the military and Congress have lobbied for years for him to receive the Medal of Honor, according to Stars and Stripes.

During his tour in Vietnam, Rose reportedly risked his life multiple times during combat operations. In September 1970, while his unit was “engaged with a much larger force deep in enemy-controlled territory,” Rose ran into the line of fire to provide emergency medical treatment for his comrades, even using his own body at one point to shield a wounded American.

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Rose put himself in harm’s way again on the final day of the mission, when he reportedly exposed himself to enemy fire in order to move wounded comrades to an extraction point and fight off an enemy assault.

Rose’s extraction helicopter was shot down shortly after he boarded. Despite being wounded himself, the captain reportedly pulled the helicopter’s crew and other personnel from the wreckage and administered emergency aid while waiting for another helicopter.

The presentation in October will mark Trump’s second time awarding the Medal of Honor. In July, he awarded the medal to James McCloughan, another former Army medic who served in Vietnam.