Alfred V. Rascon, second from right, is helped to a helicopter. ALFRED V. RASCON

Long Khanh Province, Vietnam March 16, 1966

Army Spc. 4th Class Alfred Rascon was a medic with the Reconnais- sance Platoon, Headquarters Com- pany, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate). The platoon came under fi re March 16, 1966, from a much larger enemy force as it moved to reinforce another beleaguered bat- talion. Ignoring orders to stay behind until covering fi re could be provided, Rascon moved forward to assist a severely wounded point machine gunner lying in the open, only to be pushed back by intense enemy fi re. Unwilling to give up, Rascon jumped up and raced to his fallen comrade, using his own body to protect the wounded soldier from machine-gun fi re and grenade shrapnel. Ignoring his own injuries, Rascon dragged the larger soldier from the

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bullet-raked trail, then exposed him- self to withering enemy fi re yet again by returning to the wounded soldier, stripping him of his bandoliers, and carrying the ammunition to another machine gunner who was running low. Rascon then returned to retrieve the abandoned machine gun, bullets, and spare barrel so they wouldn’t fall into enemy hands, receiving ad- ditional shrapnel wounds to his face and torso in the process. His actions, states the summary report, allowed another soldier to provide added suppressive fi re. But Rascon wasn’t done yet. While

searching for the wounded, he saw a grenadier under assault by the enemy and, despite his own wounds, crawled to the soldier and used his own body to shield the man from ex- ploding grenades, saving the man’s life. Rascon protected a wounded point squad leader in the same way, sustaining additional injuries to himself. Despite excruciating pain, Rascon remained on the battlefi eld, inspiring his com- rades to continue fi ghting. When the battle was over, Rascon continued to treat the

IMAGES: ABOVE, COLIN HAYES; TOP LEFT, U.S. ARMY; TOP RIGHT, TIM PAGE

wounded and directed their evacu- ation; only after he was placed on an evacuation helicopter did he allow himself to be treated. Rascon’s wounds were so severe he was not expected to live, but he proved stronger than anyone thought. In 1970, he graduated from Army In- fantry Offi cer Candidate School and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He returned to Vietnam for a second tour as a military advi- sor and eventually retired from the military as a lieutenant colonel.