Medal of Honor: Humbert R. “Rocky” Versace, Vietnam War, October 29, 1963 – September 26, 1965

Name: Humbert R. “Rocky” Versace
Rank: Captain
War: Vietnam War
Date of Action: October 29, 1963 – September 26, 1965
Unit: Military Assistance Advisory Group, Detachment 52 (MACV)
Born: July 2, 1937 – Honolulu, Hawaii
Entered Service At: Norfolk, Virginia

Summary of Action

Captain Humbert “Rocky” Versace was serving as S-2 Advisor to a South Vietnamese Civilian Irregular Defense Group unit in An Xuyen Province when his patrol was ambushed by a superior Viet Cong force on October 29, 1963. Despite severe wounds to his knee and back, Versace continued returning fire, refusing to yield or withdraw. When his ammunition was spent, he still resisted capture until he was physically overpowered.

In captivity, Captain Versace’s courage took on a different form. Imprisoned in the brutal swamps of the U Minh Forest, he became a symbol of defiance. Bleeding, malnourished, and shackled, he never wavered in his devotion to God, his country, or his men. Fluent in Vietnamese, Versace used the language of his captors not to submit—but to defy. He denounced their propaganda, encouraged fellow prisoners to resist, and even attempted escape on three separate occasions despite his failing health.

Unable to break his will, the Viet Cong executed him on September 26, 1965. Fellow POWs remembered his voice echoing from his cage, singing “God Bless America.” Rocky Versace died unbroken—an unyielding embodiment of the American soldier’s code: faith, honor, and resistance in the face of cruelty.

Medal of Honor Citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: Captain Humbert R. Versace distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism during the period of 29 October 1963 to 26 September 1965, while serving as S-2 Advisor, Military Assistance Advisory Group, Detachment 52, Ca Mau, Republic of Vietnam. While accompanying a Civilian Irregular Defense Group patrol engaged in combat operations in Thoi Binh District, An Xuyen Province, Captain Versace and the patrol came under sudden and intense mortar, automatic weapons, and small arms fire from elements of a heavily armed enemy battalion. As the battle raged, Captain Versace, although severely wounded in the knee and back by hostile fire, fought valiantly and continued to engage enemy targets. Weakened by his wounds and fatigued by the fierce firefight, Captain Versace stubbornly resisted capture by the overpowering Viet Cong force with the last full measure of his strength and ammunition.

Taken prisoner by the Viet Cong, he exemplified the tenets of the Code of Conduct from the time he entered into Prisoner of War status. Captain Versace assumed command of his fellow American soldiers, scorned the enemy’s exhaustive interrogation and indoctrination efforts, and made three unsuccessful attempts to escape, despite his weakened condition which was brought about by his wounds and the extreme privation and hardships he was forced to endure. During his captivity, Captain Versace was segregated in an isolated prisoner of war cage, manacled in irons for prolonged periods of time, and placed on extremely reduced rations. The enemy was unable to break his indomitable will, his faith in God, and his trust in the United States of America.

Captain Versace, an American fighting man who epitomized the principles of his country and the Code of Conduct, was executed by the Viet Cong on 26 September 1965. His gallant actions in close contact with an enemy force and unyielding courage and bravery while a prisoner of war are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect the utmost credit upon himself and the United States Army.