Medal of Honor: Clifford C. Sims – Vietnam War, February 21, 1968

Clifford Chester Sims
Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
Conflict: Vietnam War
Unit: Company D, 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Date of Action: February 21, 1968
Location: Near Hue, Republic of Vietnam

Summary of Action:
Clifford C. Sims never had it easy. Raised in hardship, orphaned young, and adopted into a new life, he found his path—and his purpose—in the U.S. Army. By 1968, he'd risen through the ranks to become a squad leader in the legendary 101st Airborne Division, leading men in the fiercest fighting of the Vietnam War.

On February 21, during the Tet Offensive, Sims’ unit was locked in brutal combat near Hue. The enemy, deeply entrenched and well-prepared, sprang a deadly ambush. As enemy rockets exploded and bullets ripped through the jungle, Sims saw several of his men trapped in the blast radius of a hit ammunition bunker. Without hesitation, he broke from cover and sprinted headlong into the fire.

Diving through smoke and debris, he found a way out—an opening in the wall. Amidst the detonating ordnance, he helped guide the trapped soldiers to safety. Then he pressed forward, charging through the wreckage to take out an enemy machine gun pinning his platoon down.

But the fight wasn’t finished.

As his men prepared to advance again, Sims spotted a nearly invisible tripwire—an enemy booby trap. There was no time to defuse it. No time to think. Only time to act.

With a single shout to warn his comrades, Sims threw himself onto the device. The explosion that followed took his life—but saved everyone behind him.

He died not as a soldier following orders, but as a leader who chose, in the most selfless moment imaginable, to shield his men with his own body. The kind of courage Clifford Sims displayed can’t be taught. It’s born of love, of loyalty, and of an unshakable devotion to those who fight beside you.

Medal of Honor Citation:
*"S/Sgt. Sims distinguished himself by outstanding courage, devotion to duty, and personal sacrifice while serving with Company D. On 21 February 1968, his company was engaged in fierce combat with a heavily armed enemy battalion near Hue, Republic of Vietnam. S/Sgt. Sims and his platoon were maneuvering through a heavily fortified enemy position when an ammunition bunker was detonated by an enemy rocket, trapping members of the platoon in the midst of the exploding ammunition.

S/Sgt. Sims, with complete disregard for his safety, left his covered position and ran to the bunker through the intense fire and exploding ammunition. Reaching the bunker, he detected that the trapped men could only escape through a hole in the wall. Ignoring the continuing explosions, he braved the enemy fire to assist the soldiers in escaping and then moved through the debris to another position in order to silence an enemy machine gun which was preventing their advance.

As he led the attack, he saw an undetected booby trap. Shouting a warning to his comrades, he unhesitatingly threw himself upon the device as it exploded, absorbing the blast and protecting his fellow soldiers from certain injury and possible death. S/Sgt. Sims' extraordinary heroism at the cost of his own life served as an inspiration to his comrades and saved the lives of those who fought beside him. His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army."*