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Trump to Award Alabama Veteran Nation's Highest Military Honor

Vietnam Veterans Memorial / Wikimedia Commons
September 20, 2017

President Donald Trump will award the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, to an Alabama-native Vietnam veteran next month, the White House announced Wednesday.

The White House ceremony will honor Captain Gary M. Rose, who served as a medic with the 5th Special Force Group during the Vietnam War, the Associated Press reports.

Rose will be honored for his service during combat operations in September 1970. On that mission, he ran repeatedly into harm's way to provide care to his fellow soldiers, even shielding another soldier from enemy fire with his own body.

According to the White House, Rose was injured on the final day of his mission, but continued to work to move fellow soldiers to an extraction point. As he boarded the last helicopter, Rose's exit vehicle was struck by enemy fire, crashing shortly after taking off. Rose ignored his own injuries to help rescue his brothers in arms from the wreckage.

Rose is currently 69 years old and is from Huntsville, Alabama; he served in the Army for 20 years. The award ceremony will take place on October 23.

Trump has awarded the Medal of Honor only once since taking office. Trump presented the award to another Army medic from the Vietnam War, James McCloughan.