Medal of Honor: Bennie G. Adkins – U.S. Army – Vietnam War

Name: Bennie G. Adkins
Rank: Sergeant First Class
Branch: U.S. Army
Unit: Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces 
Place: Camp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam
Entered Service At: Waurika, Oklahoma
Born: 1 February 1934, Waurika, Oklahoma
Date of Issue: September 15, 2014

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Summary of Action

From March 9 to March 12, 1966, Sergeant First Class Bennie G. Adkins fought one of the most desperate defensive battles of the Vietnam War at Camp A Shau, a remote Special Forces outpost near the Laotian border.

When a large Viet Cong force launched a coordinated attack against the camp, Adkins immediately rushed through intense enemy fire to man a mortar position.

Even after being wounded, he repeatedly ran through exploding mortar rounds to rescue injured comrades, dragging them to safety.

When the fighting briefly subsided, he exposed himself to sniper fire to carry additional wounded soldiers to the camp dispensary.

During the evacuation of a critically wounded American, Adkins deliberately moved outside the camp walls to draw enemy fire, allowing the rescue to succeed.

In the early hours of March 10, the Viet Cong launched a massive regimental assault.

Within two hours, Adkins was the only man left operating the mortar.

Despite his wounds and the loss of most of his crew, he continued firing into the attacking enemy formations, breaking up repeated assaults.

Later, he moved to a communications bunker where a handful of Americans were fighting off a company of Viet Cong soldiers. From there he poured suppressive fire into the attackers, killing numerous enemy troops.

When ammunition ran dangerously low, Adkins ran back across the battlefield to the mortar pit, gathered vital ammunition, and carried it through heavy fire back to the defenders.

Eventually ordered to abandon the camp, Adkins helped destroy classified equipment before leading a small group of survivors out of the compound.

For two days, they fought and evaded enemy forces in the jungle until they were finally rescued by helicopter.

Sergeant First Class Bennie G. Adkins’ extraordinary heroism against overwhelming enemy forces stands as one of the most remarkable acts of courage in the history of the U.S. Army Special Forces.

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Medal of Honor Citation

ADKINS, BENNIE G.

Place and date: Camp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam, 9–12 March 1966.

Born: 1 February 1934, Waurika, Okla.

Sergeant First Class Adkins distinguished himself during the period 9 March 1966 to 12 March 1966 during combat operations at Camp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam. When the camp was attacked by a large Viet Cong force, Sergeant First Class Adkins rushed through intense hostile fire and manned a mortar position. Although he was wounded, he ran through exploding mortar rounds and dragged several of his comrades to safety. When the hostile fire subsided, Sergeant First Class Adkins exposed himself to sporadic sniper fire and carried his wounded comrades to the camp dispensary. During the evacuation of a seriously wounded American, Sergeant First Class Adkins maneuvered outside the camp walls to draw fire and successfully covered the rescue. During the early morning hours of 10 March 1966, a Viet Cong regiment launched their main attack. Within two hours, Sergeant First Class Adkins was the only man firing a mortar weapon. Although he was painfully wounded and most of his crew was killed or wounded, he fought off the fanatical waves of attacking Viet Cong. After withdrawing to a communications bunker where several Americans were attempting to fight off a company of Viet Cong, Sergeant First Class Adkins killed numerous insurgents with his suppressive fire. Running extremely low on ammunition, he returned to the mortar pit, gathered the vital ammunition, and ran through intense fire back to the communications bunker. After being ordered to evacuate the camp, all signal equipment and classified documents were destroyed. Sergeant First Class Adkins and a small group of men fought their way out of the camp and evaded the Viet Cong for two days until they were rescued by a helicopter. Sergeant First Class Adkins’ extraordinary heroism in close combat against a numerically superior hostile force was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.