Medal of Honor history: Lemon and Beikirch

40 years ago, SP4 Peter Lemon and Sgt. Gary Beikirch earned the Medal of Honor in two separate incidents in Vietnam.

When Fire Support Base Illingworth came under attack, Lemon – a native Canadian and one of the youngest Medal recipients – engaged a numerically-superior enemy with his weapons until they both malfunctioned. Then Lemon used hand grenades to defend against an intense attack, killing all but one soldier – whom he chased down and dispatched during hand-to-hand combat. He rescued team mates, fought off further assaults with grenades, machine gun, and hand-to-hand fighting before collapsing from his multiple wounds. Read Lemon’s citation.

During the defense of Camp Dak Seang, Beikirch moved through withering fire to rescued and treated numerous soldiers after a devastating assault. Although Beikirch received multiple, serious wounds himself, he refused treatment and continued searching for wounded teammates before collapsing from his wounds. Read Beikirch’s citation.

Posted on April 2, 2010 at 13:08 by Chris Carter · Permalink · One Comment
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Gary B. Beikirch Medal of Honor citation

Army MOH CitationThe President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to

SERGEANT

GARY BURNELL BEIKIRCH

ARMY

for service as set forth in the following

CITATION:

For The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Gary Burnell Beikirch, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Detachment 8245, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, in action against enemy aggressor forces at Dak Seang, Republic of Vietnam, on 1 April 1970. Sergeant Beikirch, Medical Aidman, Detachment B-24, Company B, distinguished himself during the defense of Camp Dak Seang. The allied defenders suffered a number of casualties as a result of an intense, devastating attack launched by the enemy from well-concealed positions surrounding the camp. Sergeant Beikirch, with complete disregard for his personal safety, moved unhesitatingly through the withering enemy fire to his fallen comrades, applied first aid to their wounds and assisted them to the medical aid station. When informed that a seriously injured American officer was lying in an exposed position, Sergeant Beikirch ran immediately through the hail of fire. Although he was wounded seriously by fragments from an exploding enemy mortar shell, Sergeant Beikirch carried the officer to a medical aid station. Ignoring his own serious injuries, Sergeant Beikirch left the relative safety of the medical bunker to search for and evacuate other men who had been injured. He was again wounded as he dragged a critically injured Vietnamese soldier to the medical bunker while simultaneously applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to sustain his life. Sergeant Beikirch again refused treatment and continued his search for other casualties until he collapsed. Only then did he permit himself to be treated. Sergeant Beikirch’s complete devotion to the welfare of his comrades, at the risk of his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.

Born: 29 Aug. 1947, Rochester, N.Y.