Medal of Honor: Donald R. Long – Vietnam War, June 30, 1966

Donald Russell Long
Sergeant, U.S. Army
Conflict: Vietnam War
Unit: Troop C, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
Date of Action: June 30, 1966
Location: Republic of Vietnam

Summary of Action:
In the humid, deadly jungles of Vietnam, Sergeant Donald R. Long stood not only as a warrior, but as a protector of his men. On June 30, 1966, during a reconnaissance mission, Troops B and C were suddenly ambushed by a Viet Cong regiment entrenched along the roadside. Under a torrent of enemy mortars, recoilless rifle blasts, and machine gun fire, Long abandoned the safety of his armored personnel carrier and ran into the kill zone, repeatedly risking his life to drag wounded comrades to evacuation helicopters.

As the battle intensified and his platoon pushed forward to resupply embattled units, Long exposed himself time and again to enemy fire, delivering vital ammunition under point-blank fire. When enemy troops swarmed his vehicle, he stood tall in the open, firing his rifle and throwing grenades to keep the attackers at bay. Spotting another vehicle disabled nearby, Long dashed to it, pulling out wounded crewmen and organizing them to rejoin the fight.

Then, in a final act of heroism, an enemy grenade landed on the carrier deck. Without hesitation, Long shouted a warning and pushed one man to safety—then threw himself atop the grenade. He absorbed the full force of the explosion, sacrificing his life to save eight others. Sergeant Donald Long's fearless courage and selfless devotion to his men that day embody the highest ideals of military service.

Medal of Honor Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Troops B and C, while conducting a reconnaissance mission along a road, were suddenly attacked by a Viet Cong regiment, supported by mortars, recoilless rifles, and machine guns, from concealed positions astride the road.

Sgt. Long abandoned the relative safety of his armored personnel carrier and braved a withering hail of enemy fire to carry wounded men to evacuation helicopters. As the platoon fought its way forward to resupply advanced elements, Sgt. Long repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire at point-blank range to provide the needed supplies. While assaulting the Viet Cong position, Sgt. Long inspired his comrades by fearlessly standing unprotected to repel the enemy with rifle fire and grenades as they attempted to mount his carrier.

When the enemy threatened to overrun a disabled carrier nearby, Sgt. Long again disregarded his own safety to help the severely wounded crew to safety. As he was handing arms to the less seriously wounded and reorganizing them to press the attack, an enemy grenade was hurled onto the carrier deck. Immediately recognizing the imminent danger, he instinctively shouted a warning to the crew and pushed to safety one man who had not heard his warning over the roar of battle. Realizing that these actions would not fully protect the exposed crewmen from the deadly explosion, he threw himself over the grenade to absorb the blast and thereby saved the lives of 8 of his comrades at the expense of his life.

Throughout the battle, Sgt. Long’s extraordinary heroism, courage, and supreme devotion to his men were in the finest tradition of the military service, and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.