President Trump is set to award the Medal of Honor to a Huntsville-native Vietnam veteran next month. The White House announced on Wednesday that Captain Gary M. Rose will be awarded with the nation’s highest military honor for his “conspicuous gallantry during the Vietnam War.”
According to the White House press release, in September 1970, while his unit was engaged deep in enemy territory, Captain Rose repeatedly put his life on the line to protect his comrades. Then-Sergeant Rose continually ran through enemy fire in order to provide medical attention to some of his fallen unit. He even used his own body to shield one wounded American from harm.
Although suffering several wounds of his own, Captain Rose again voluntarily exposed himself to enemy fire in order to escort wounded personnel to the extraction point. He stood his ground by the helicopter, helping to repel the enemy assault on the American position. However, enemy fire overcame the helicopter just as it began to take off, causing it to crash. Despite just having got on board, Captain Rose immediately took to pulling his wounded comrades from the burning wreckage. He was able to provide defense and medical aid until the second helicopter arrived to bring Rose and his unit home.
Rose retired from the Army in 1987, and subsequently earned a master’s degree in communication from the University of Oklahoma. He later worked as a technical consultant in the defense and automobile industries. Today, Captain Rose lives in Huntsville with his wife Margaret. The two have one son, Michael, and two daughters, Sarah and Claire.
The ceremony will be held on October 23.
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