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Vietnam Vet Who Received Medal of Honor Today Was a Total BADASS
http://madworldnews.com/vietnam-vet-medal-honor/
He more than earned his award. It was long overdue.



Vietnam Vet Who Received Medal of Honor Today Was a Total BADASS

in News, Opinion / by Sean Brown / on September 15, 2014 at 4:34 pm /

One of today’s recipients of the Medal of Honor turns out to be a complete badass, and the story of how he killed 175 enemies, plus had a run-in with a tiger, is well worth the read.
Bennie G. Adkins is promoted to the rank of command sergeant major, with the help of his wife, Mary.

According to CNN, Sgt. Maj. Bennie Adkins endured a four-day struggle that’s one for the history books, suffering 18 wounds from enemy fire, 38 hours of battle and evading North Vietnamese troops for 48 hours. The epic chain of events took place in Vietnam’s A Shau Valley over 48 years ago, and today Adkins was finally honored for his extremely brave and heroic acts.
On March 9, 1966, a 32-year-old Adkins was a sergeant first class among a handful of Americans working with South Vietnamese troops at camp A Shau when their camp was attacked by a large group of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers, according to an Army report.

“Adkins rushed through intense enemy fire and manned a mortar position defending the camp. He continued to mount a defense even while incurring wounds from several direct hits from enemy mortars. Upon learning that several soldiers were wounded near the center of camp, he temporarily turned the mortar over to another soldier, ran through exploding mortar rounds and dragged several comrades to safety. As the hostile fire subsided, Adkins exposed himself to sporadic sniper fire and carried his wounded comrades to a more secure position.”

Later, while taking heavy enemy fire, Adkins took wounded soldiers to an airstrip outside the camp for extraction then drew fire away from the evacuation aircraft so it could escape. Then he went outside the safety of the camp again to retrieve supplies from an airdrop that had fallen into a minefield, and as CNN noted, it was only the first day.
Adkins extreme bravery continued in the morning hours of March 10, when enemy soldiers hit the camp with their main attack.
According to the Army report:

“Within two hours, Sergeant First Class Adkins was the only defender firing a mortar weapon. When all mortar rounds were expended, Adkins began placing effective rifle fire upon enemy as they infiltrated the camp perimeter and assaulted his position. Despite receiving additional wounds from enemy rounds exploding on his position, Adkins fought off relentless waves of attacking North Vietnamese soldiers.”

Adkins then fell back to a smaller bunker within the camp, killing more enemy troops with small arms fire and destroying equipment and classified documents so they didn’t fall into the hands of the North Vietnamese. He then led a group of soldiers in digging their way out of the rear of the bunker and escaping the camp.
As if that wasn’t enough, Adkins was carrying a wounded comrade which slowed the group down, causing them to miss the evacuation helicopters sent to pick up the survivors of the battle. They were forced to retreat into the jungle where they would evade their pursuers for another 48 hours.
According to CNN, that next two days is when the tiger came into the scene.
“The North Vietnamese soldiers had us surrounded on a little hilltop and everything started getting kind of quiet,” Adkins is quoted as saying in an Army report. “We could look around and all at once, all we could see were eyes going around us. It was a tiger that stalked us that night. We were all bloody and in this jungle, the tiger stalked us and the North Vietnamese soldiers were more afraid of the tiger than they were of us. So, they backed off some and we were (able to escape).”
On March 12, rescue helicopters would finally pick up Adkins and the other survivors.
According to the Army, Adkins killed up to 175 enemy combatants during the battle at Camp A Shau. He suffered 18 wounds throughout the 86-hour ordeal, but was able to press on and save his group.



Bennie G. Adkins

“The bottom line is that it was just not my day to go,” Adkins said in an Army interview at Fort Benning, Georgia, last week.
But Adkins doesn’t think about his own actions during the battle. His selfless nature comes out every time he discusses it with someone.
“I’m just a keeper of the medal for those other 16 (U.S. troops) who were in the battle, especially the five who didn’t make it,” he told Army News Service.
“I can tell you every man who was there and the five who lost their lives. I can tell you how that happened. It diminishes, but it does not go away,” Adkins said.
Talk about a total badass. Make sure you share this amazing story of honor and bravery with others so they can see how Adkins more than earned his award today.

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http://madworldnews.com/vietnam-vet-medal-honor/

Two heroes from Vietnam will receive Medal of Honor

Aug. 26, 2014 - 06:00AM | 2 Comments



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• 151 years after Gettysburg, a Medal of Honor recipient

Two soldiers who served in Vietnam will receive the Medal of Honor in a Sept. 15 ceremony, the White House announced Tuesday. A third soldier, who fought in Gettysburg during the Civil War, will also receive the top valor award.

■ Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins will receive the medal for heroism for actions while serving as the intelligence sergeant assigned to Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces.
From March 9 to March 12, 1966, then-Sgt. 1st Class Adkins valiantly battled intense enemy fire attacking his unit’s position at Camp A Shau. Adkins had previously earned a Distinguished Service Cross for this battle.
“Although he was wounded, he ran through exploding mortar rounds and dragged several of his comrades to safety,” reads Adkins’ DSC citation. “When the hostile fire subsided [March 9], 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.”
The next day, the Viet Cong launched another offensive.
“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,” states his DSC citation.
Adkins and a small group of his comrades fought their way out of the camp and successfully evaded the Viet Cong for two days before they were rescued via helicopter.
Adkins joined the Army in 1956, at the age of 22, the White House reports. He served in the 2nd Infantry Division until leaving to join Special Forces in 1961. He deployed to Vietnam three times.
He retired from the Army in 1978. Adkins and his wife of 59 years, Mary Adkins, residents of Opelika, Alabama, plan to attend the White House ceremony.

■ Specialist Four Donald P. Sloat will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor for actions while serving as a machine gunner with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division.
Sloat was killed on Jan. 17, 1970, while fighting near Hawk Hill Fire Base in Vietnam. He was 20.
Sloat’s squad was conducting a patrol when one of the soldiers triggered a hand grenade trap placed in their path by enemy forces, the White House reported.
“Specialist Four Sloat picked up the live grenade, initially to throw it away. However, when he realized that detonation was imminent, he chose to shield its blast with his own body, sacrificing his own life to save the lives of three of his fellow soldiers,” the announcement reads.
Sloat, of Coweta, Oklahoma, joined the Army on March 19, 1969. Sloat’s brother, Dr. William Sloat of Enid, Oklahoma, will accept the Medal of Honor on his brother’s behalf.

MoH recipient from Pickett's charge

President Obama also approved the posthumous award of the Medal of Honor to 1st Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing for heroism at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.
Cushing was the commander of Battery A, 4th United States Artillery, Artillery Brigade, 2nd Corps, Army of the Potomac. Cushing distinguished himself during combat operations against an armed enemy in the vicinity of Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 3, 1863.
“Cushing was killed in action on July 3, 1863, at the age of 22,” the White House statement reads. “On that day, the third day of the battle, in the face of Longstreet’s Assault, also known as Pickett’s Charge, First Lieutenant Cushing’s battery took a severe pounding by Confederate artillery. As the rebel infantry advanced, he manned the only remaining, and serviceable, field piece in his battery. During the advance, he was wounded in the stomach as well as in the right shoulder. Refusing to evacuate to the rear despite his severe wounds, he directed the operation of his lone field piece continuing to fire in the face of the enemy. With the rebels within 100 yards of his position, Cushing was shot and killed during this heroic stand. His actions made it possible for the Union Army to successfully repulse the Confederate assault. First Lieutenant Cushing is buried with full honors at his alma mater, West Point.”

http://www.armytimes.com/article/201...ve-Medal-Honor

Live Webcast: Hall of Heroes Induction

Watch the Hall of Heroes Induction Ceremony live webcast tomorrow at 2 p.m. (EDT)

The U.S. Army will induct Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie Adkins and Spc. 4 Donald Sloat into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes today. The Pentagon ceremony will add Adkins' and Sloat's names to the distinguished roster in the Hall of Heroes, the Defense Department's permanent display of record for all recipients of the Medal of Honor.





Command Sergeant Major Bennie G. Adkins


hometownOpelika, Alabama
bornFebruary 1934
enlistment dateDecember 1956
unitDetachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces
military occupation (mos)11F - Infantry Operations and Intelligence Sergeant
tour of dutyRepublic of Vietnam, 1963, 1965 – 1966, and 1971

Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins was drafted into the Army Dec. 5, 1956, at the age of 22, from Waurika, Oklahoma. Upon completion of initial training at Fort Bliss, Texas, he was assigned as an Administrative Clerk-Typist to a garrison unit in Giessen, Germany, with a follow-on assignment to the 2nd Infantry Division, at Fort Benning, Georgia. After attending Airborne School, he volunteered for Special Forces, in 1961. He served with the Special Forces for more than 13 years with the 7th, 3rd, 6th and 5th Special Forces Groups (Airborne).
While in the Special Forces, he deployed to the Republic of Vietnam for three non-consecutive tours. His first tour in the Republic of Vietnam lasted from February 1963 to August 1963. His second tour of duty in Vietnam lasted from September 1965 to September 1966. His final Vietnam tour lasted from January 1971 through December 1971.
After Vietnam, Adkins served as First Sergeant for the Army Garrison Communications Command in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. He then joined Class #3 of the Army Sergeants Major Academy in El Paso, Texas. After graduation, Adkins served with the Special Forces at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and then led training at Fort Sherman's Jungle School in the Panama Canal Zone. He retired from the Army, in 1978.
Adkins earned his bachelor's degree from Troy State University, in 1979. He earned his Master's Degree in Education, in 1982, and then, a second Master's Degree in Management, in 1988, all from Troy State University. Simultaneous to pursuing his degree programs, he established the Adkins Accounting Service, Inc., in Auburn, Alabama, serving as its CEO for 22 years. He also taught night classes at Alabama's Southern Union Junior College, for 10 years, and at Auburn University, for six years. Adkins has been married to his wife, Mary, for 59 years, and together they have raised five children.
Adkins' previous awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster and "V" Device, the Purple Heart with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal with Bronze Clasp and Five Loops, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with one Silver Service Star and one Bronze Service Star, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Meritorious Unit Citation, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with "60" Device, the Republic of Vietnam Bravery Medal with Brass Star, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Bronze Star, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm Device, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Special Forces Tab, the U.S. Army Master Parachutist Badge, the Vietnamese Parachutist Badge - Two Awards, the Expert Badge with Rifle and Pistol Bars, the Sharpshooter Badge with Carbine Bar, and the Marksman Badge with Machinegun Bar.

“Sgt. 1st Class Adkins' contribution to the defense of the camp and subsequent recovery of the survivors was far above and beyond that called for by duty.”

Retired Col. John D. Blair IV, then a captain, served as commanding officer of Camp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam when, on March 9, 1966, it came under a severe attack by a large Viet Cong force.




The Battle


area of operationCamp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam
date of actionMarch 9-12, 1966
positionInfantry Operations and Intelligence Sergeant

Command Sergeant Major Bennie G. Adkins distinguished himself during 38 hours of close-combat fighting against enemy forces on March 9 to 12, 1966. At that time, then-Sergeant First Class Adkins was serving as an Intelligence Sergeant with Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces at Camp "A Shau", in the Republic of Vietnam.
When Camp A Shau was attacked by a large North Vietnamese force in the early morning hours of March 9th, Sergeant First Class Adkins rushed through intense enemy fire and manned a mortar position defending the camp. He continued to mount a defense even while incurring wounds from several direct hits from enemy mortars. Upon learning that several soldiers were wounded near the center of camp, he temporarily turned the mortar over to another soldier, ran through exploding mortar rounds and dragged several comrades to safety. As the hostile fire subsided, Adkins exposed himself to sporadic sniper fire and carried his wounded comrades to a more secure position at the camp dispensary.
Sergeant First Class Adkins exposed himself to enemy fire transporting a wounded casualty to an airstrip for evacuation. He and his group then came under heavy small arms fire from members of the Civilian Irregular Defense Group that had defected to fight with the North Vietnamese. Despite this overwhelming force, Adkins maneuvered outside the camp to evacuate a seriously wounded American and draw fire away from the aircraft all the while successfully covering the rescue. Later, when a resupply air drop landed outside of the camp perimeter, Adkins again moved outside of the camp walls to retrieve the much needed supplies.
During the early morning hours of March 10th, enemy forces launched their main assault. Within two hours, Sergeant First Class Adkins was the only defender firing a mortar weapon. When all mortar rounds were expended, Adkins began placing effective rifle fire upon enemy as they infiltrated the camp perimeter and assaulted his position. Despite receiving additional wounds from enemy rounds exploding on his position, Adkins fought off relentless waves of attacking North Vietnamese soldiers.
Adkins then withdrew to regroup with a smaller element of soldiers at the communications bunker. While there, he single-handedly eliminated numerous insurgents with small arms fire, almost completely exhausting his supply of ammunition. Braving intense enemy fire, he returned to the mortar pit, gathered vital ammunition and evaded fire while returning to the bunker. After the order was given to evacuate the camp, Sergeant First Class Adkins and a small group of soldiers destroyed all signal equipment and classified documents, dug their way out of the rear of the bunker, and fought their way out of the camp.
Because of his efforts to carry a wounded soldier to an extraction point and leave no one behind, Sergeant First Class Adkins and his group were unable to reach the last evacuation helicopter. Adkins then rallied the remaining survivors and led the group into the jungle - evading the enemy for 48 hours until they were rescued by helicopter on March 12th. During the 38-hour battle and 48-hours of escape and evasion, Adkins fought with mortars, machine guns, recoilless rifles, small arms, and hand grenades, killing an estimated 135 - 175 of the enemy and sustaining 18 different wounds. Sergeant First Class Adkins' extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces and the United States Army.
Full Narrative
After Action Report






Vietnam War Commemoration

50th Anniversary

(1962 – 1975)

Commemoration Information



Did you know?

Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients






5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)

Despite being one of the smallest units engaged in the Vietnam conflict, the Group's colors fly 20 campaign streamers. Soldiers from the group are among the most highly decorated warriors in the history of our nation.

The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was officially activated Sept. 21, 1961, at Fort Bragg, N.C.
A year later, elements of the 5th Special Forces Group began serving temporary duty tours in the Republic of Vietnam. Full deployment of the Group was completed in February 1965.
Units from within the group deployed from its operational base at Nha Trang, to the four military regions of Vietnam. Operational detachments established and manned camps at 254 different locations, to train and lead indigenous forces of the Civilian Irregular Defense Groups, and regular units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam.
The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) also formed specialized units that conducted special reconnaissance and direct-action missions.
Despite being one of the smallest units engaged in the Vietnam conflict, the Group's colors fly 20 campaign streamers. Soldiers from the group are among the most highly decorated warriors in the history of our nation.
To date, 16 Medals of Honor have been awarded (eight posthumously), to Soldiers in the group for actions in Vietnam.
The group was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) Vietnam 1966 to 1968, the Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) Vietnam 1968; the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Vietnam 1964; and Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, 1st Class, Vietnam, 1968 to 1970.
On March 5, 1971, the colors of the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) were returned to Fort Bragg by a 94-man contingent led by then-Col. (Retired Maj. Gen.) Michael D. Healy, thereby terminating their official Vietnam service.

Full Unit History

http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/adkins/index.html

Rolling Thunder Washington, DC Inc.

Poster from The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration

If you're interested in receiving a copy, contact the commemoration at:

DOD Vietnam War Commemoration Program Office...
1101 Wilson Blvd Suite 810
Arlington, VA 22209
Website: http://www.vietnamwar50th.com/
Phone number: 877-387-9951
E-mail: whs.vnwar50th@mail.mil

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