Airman First Class Jone Lee Levitow served in Vietnam as a loadmaster. On February 24th, 1969, Levitow’s AC-47, a fixed wing gunship, was hit by an enemy mortar round. The explosion tore a hole in the plane, slashed the fuselage, temporarily blinded the pilots, and threw everyone in the cargo hold to the ground, causing numerous injuries. It also knocked a 3 foot long, 27 pound explosive metal flare out of a crew member's hands, with the safety pin still around his finger. Armed and ready to...

Sergeant Major Thomas P. Payne served in Iraq as an Army Ranger. On October 22nd, 2015, Payne’s special operations unit was paired with Kurdish allies in order to complete a hostage rescue mission from an ISIS compound. Payne continuously wethered enemy fire, brownout conditions, and smoke from a burning building on the brink of collapse in order to help rescue 75 Iraqi hostages.  Sergeant Major Thomas P. Payne was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism and selfless service on that day.

Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith was among the first group of Americans to invade Iraq in 2003, serving as a combat engineer.  On April 4th, 2003, American forces were attempting to seize Saddam Hussein International Airport. SFC Smith was leading two platoons of about three dozen men with the goal of setting up a holding area for prisoners of war, but they were attacked by over 100 members of the Iraqi Republican Guard. Smith quickly organized their defense, but the overwhelming enemy...

Staff Sergeant Herbert H. Burr served in World War II as a tank gunner. His tank was approaching a town in Germany when they were hit by a bazooka, killing two crewmembers and seriously injuring the platoon sergeant. The surviving crew was forced to evacuate the vehicle, but Burr, delayed by his exit hatch that couldn’t open, feared being targeted upon leaving the vehicle. So, without any other crew, he commandeered the tank and drove it deeper into the town. He made a left turn where he was...

Captain Steven Logan Bennett was flying an OV-10 Bronco near Quang Tri, Vietnam in 1972 when he received an urgent call for help. A friendly South Vietnamese ground unit had overextended, and were about to be engaged by nearly 300 enemies. Bennett called for air support, but none was available. He then called for artillery, but it turned out that it would risk hitting enemy troops. Seeing no other way to help, Bennett engaged the ground forces himself, disregarding the fact that his OV-10 was...

Today, in honor of Vietnam War Veteran’s Day, we are re-airing our episode featuring SFC Webster Anderson. Sergeant First Class Webster Anderson served in the Army in Vietnam. He lost two legs and an arm defending his position near Tam Ky, but his resilience and bravery encouraged his men, led to victory, and earned him the Medal of Honor.

Dr. Mary E. Walker spent her whole life defying gender roles. She saved up money to go to college to become a Doctor, refused to wear women’s clothing her whole life, and served as an “Assistant Surgeon” (but still technically a civilian) during the war. She was captured and held as a prisoner of war for four months, and at the end of the war, she was awarded the Medal of Honor for her devotion to the detriment of her own health. Her medal was later rescinded in 1917, along with 911 other...

Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller served in Afghanistan as a Weapons Sergeant. In January of 2008, Miller was part of a Special Forces combat reconnaissance unit tasked with confirming enemy activity in the Gowardesh Valley. The unit had a successful initial engagement, in which Miller relayed information that became crucial to a lethal allied air strike. Afterwards, Miller was ordered to be the point man for a patrol tasked with doing a post battle assessment. The patrol separated from the...

Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano was a native Hawaiian who served in the Army in the Korean War before Hawaii was even a state. When an overwhelming enemy force attacked their defensive position, Kaho’ohanohano ordered his men to fall back, but he stayed behind. Kaho’ohanohano laid down deadly coverfire to protect his men as they retreated, firing a machine gun and throwing grenades. He was hit in the shoulder, but held his position until he had completely exhausted all of his ammo and grenades....

Sergeant John Phillip Baca served in the Army in a recoilless rifle team. His company was near Quan Loi, Vietnam and settled in for the night when an explosion went off in the distance. They recognized it as one of the tripwires they had set to alert them of enemies in their position. Baca and his platoon responded to the disturbance, and quickly came under heavy fire. Baca was preparing to fire when a friendly wounded soldier ran past, bumping Baca’s weapon off his shoulder. This caused Baca...

Colonel Walter Joseph Marm Jr. served in the Army during Vietnam. On the 14th of November, 1965, Marm and his company were tasked with rescuing a platoon that had been surrounded by the NVA. After their first push was unsuccessful, Marm led his platoon through heavy machine gun and light arms fire. Marm killed four enemies that approached their position before exposing himself to enemy fire in order to locate their hidden machine gun. He then charged the machine gun bunker alone, running...

1st Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr. served in the Army in World War I as a pilot. He quickly gained a reputation as being arrogant and overconfident, but he had the skills to back it up. He scored 18 aerial victories in under three weeks, mostly on unsanctioned missions. His friendship to his group commander allowed him to fly as he pleased, consequence free.  On September 29th, 1918, after almost being grounded by his squad commander, Luke left on another solo flight, destroying three German...

After an enemy Japanese plane crashed into the water besides the USS William D. Porter, it exploded causing the destroyer to partially leave the water and crash down again. Thanks to Lieutenant Richard Miles McCool Jr., the commander of a smaller Landing Craft Support ship (LCS-122), all 300 crew members were evacuated to safety. The next day, on June 11th, 1945, the LCS-122 was subject to its own Kamikaze attack that made a direct hit to its bow. The impact caused an explosion and a serious...

Staff Sergeant Ruben Rivers served in the Army during World War II. He was a member of the 761st tank battalion, a primarily all black battalion nicknamed the Black Panthers. The panthers were considered an experiment by the U.S. military. At the time, the military was segregated, and they didn’t think black soldiers had the intellect or ability to operate tanks. The 761st had to train for two years before being deployed, as opposed to the usual few months.  Rivers and the rest of the Black...

The Lost Battalion was the name given to 554 American soldiers who were encircled by German forces during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I. These men defended their vulnerable position for nine days with very little food, water and supplies. This episode tells the story of four soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor during those nine days: Major Charles Whittlesey, Captain George McMurtry, 1st Lieutenant Harold Goettler, and 2nd Lieutenant Erwin Bleckley.

The Lost Battalion was the name given to 554 American soldiers who were encircled by German forces during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I. These men defended their vulnerable position for nine days with very little food, water and supplies. This episode tells the story of four soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor during those nine days: Major Charles Whittlesey, Captain George McMurtry, 1st Lieutenant Harold Goettler, and 2nd Lieutenant Erwin Bleckley.

Colonel William A. Shomo served as a pilot in the pacific theater during World War II. While on a reconnaissance mission, Shomo and his wingman encountered a Japanese bomber convoy and attacked despite being outnumbered 13 to 2. Together they destroyed 10 enemy aircraft, and the remaining three were forced to flee. Shomo earned the Medal of Honor for destroying 7 of those enemies.

On a raid in a Taliban compound, Master Sergeant Petry was wounded in both legs when an enemy grenade landed by his wounded comrade. Without thinking twice, Petry saved his friend by throwing the grenade back and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his self-sacrifice.  You can read Petry's Medal of Honor Citation on the National Medal of Honor Museum website.

The Medal of Honor podcast team would like to take a moment to thank our listeners for all your support this year. Your kind words and support are greatly appreciated. We’re taking the next two weeks off to enjoy the holidays with our families, but next week we’ll be re-airing an episode that we’re really proud of.  Happy Holidays, and see you next year.

MSG Plumlee’s Medal of Honor story is straight out of a movie. When enemies with suicide vests attacked his base in Afghanistan, Plumlee was out gunned and outmanned. He fought multiple insurgents with little ammo, and miraculously emerged from the fight with relatively minor injuries despite being under heavy fire. You can read Plumlee's Medal of Honor Citation on the National Medal of Honor Museum website.

Specialist 5th Class Clarence Eugene Sasser served in Vietnam as an Army Medic. Through numerous wounds and excruciating pain, he continuously administered aid to fellow soldiers for 20 hours as his company was attacked in Vietnam. To hear more of Sasser's story listen to his episode on our other show; Warrior In Their Own Words. You can read Sasser's Medal of Honor Citation on the National Medal of Honor Museum website.

Leading up to World War II, Signalman First Class Douglas Albert Munro and Chief Signalman (later Commander) Raymond J. Evans enlisted to the Coast guard on the same day. They quickly became inseparable, only served one short assignment apart. You can read Munro's Medal of Honor Citation on the National Medal of Honor Museum website.

Lieutenant Commander Thomas Gunning Kelly served in Vietnam as a river assault division commander. Even after a rocket rendered him temporarily blind and unable to walk, he successfully directed his division’s defense of a vulnerable boat until the threat was gone.

Corporal William Kyle Carpenter covered an enemy grenade in Afghanistan to protect his fellow Marine. He was severely injured, and had to be resuscitated multiple times, but he survived. It took him three years to recover, and he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his courage. You can read Carpenter's Medal of Honor Citation on the National Medal of Honor Museum website.