Description:
Medal of Honor recipient, Richard Etchberger. VietNam Conflict, Laos 1968
Gallantry, self-sacrifice, and profound concern for his fellow men at the risk of his life, Chief Etchberger and his team of technicians were manning a top secret defensive position at Lima Site 85 on a Laotion mountain top when the base was overrun by an enemy ground force. Receiving sustained and withering heavy artillery attacks directly upon his unit's position; Chief Etchberger's entire crew lay dead or severely wounded. Despite having received little or no combat training, Chief Etchberger single-handedly held off the enemy with an M-16, while simultaneously directing air strikes into the area and calling for air rescue. Because of his fierce defense and heroic and selfless actions, he was able to deny the enemy access to his position and save the lives of his remaining crew. With the arrival of the rescue aircraft, an unarmed Air America helicopter, Chief Etchberger, without hesitation, repeatedly and deliberately risked his own life, exposing himself to heavy enemy fire in order to place three surviving wounded comrades into rescue slings hanging from the hovering helicopter waiting to airlift them to safety. With his remaining crew safely aboard, Chief Etchberger finally climbed into an evacuation sling himself, only to be fatally wounded by enemy ground fire as he was being raised into the aircraft.
|
