Stories of America's Greatest Heroes
Ken Harbaugh tells the stories of service members who have distinguished themselves through an act of valor. These stories feature recipients from the Civil War to present day, including a few who were originally overlooked for the medal.
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During his second tour in Vietnam, Major General Patrick Henry Bradyserved as a helicopter pilot in the 57th Medical Detachment, tasked with evacuating wounded no matter what the conditions. The 57th’s call sign, “Dustoff” became one of the most famous call signs in the war.
On January 6th, 1968, Brady was awakened to rescue two wounded Vietnamese soldiers stranded in the densely fogged mountains. This cloud cover was a double edged sword, providing cover from enemy fire, but making it almost impossible for pilots to navigate. At this time, Brady was the only Huey pilot who could fly in it. By turning his aircraft sideways and hovering slowly along the valley trail, he blew away the fog with the backwash of his rotor blades. This cleared a path, and allowed Brady to reach the stranded men.
Brady then received word that 70 wounded Americans were in need of rescue nearby. Continuing to navigate the fog using his unique technique, Brady reached their position and made a total of four trips back and forth to the hospital. Brady was supposed to be joined by other pilots, but he was the only one who could penetrate the fog, so he had to do it all on his own.
During his third trip, Brady’s Huey was hit by enemy fire. The controls took serious damage, and he later found out they were hanging on by a thread. After this damage assessment, Brady and his crew hopped in a replacement aircraft and continued on with the mission.
Brady later received word of an American platoon stranded in a minefield. Another Huey had already attempted to pull them out, but it set off a mine after touching down, forcing it to retreat. With incredible precision, Brady touched down right where the previous aircraft did in order to avoid any mines. His crew then navigated the minefield, dragging the wounded back to the aircraft one by one. On one of their trips they hit an explosive, injuring two crew members and sending shrapnel into the aircraft. Despite their injuries the crew was able to load the rest of the wounded. Brady flew the damaged ship back to the hospital, and swapped into another Huey.
On October 9th, 1969, Major General Patrick Henry Brady was awarded the Medal of Honor. Major Brady evacuated a total of 51 seriously wounded men that day, and without his quick response & skillful navigation, many of them wouldn’t have made it.
In Partnership with The National Medal of Honor Museum
The museum offers an experience that draws personal and emotional connections to Medal of Honor recipients and their stories, while shedding light on the wars in which they fought and the ideals that the Medal of Honor represents. Visitors come to understand the meaning and price of freedom—and appreciate the virtue of putting service above self.
The National Medal of Honor Museum also includes an education center aimed at character development in our nation’s youth. A critical part of their mission is to use the stories of our Medal of Honor recipients to inspire young people, and motivate them to be their best selves.
For more information please visit their website.
The Team
Ken Harbaugh
Nathan Corson
Declan Rohrs
