Biden awards Medal of Honor to Vietnam War pilot Larry Taylor
Source: CBS News
President Biden on Tuesday awarded the Medal of Honor to 81-year-old retired Captain Larry L. Taylor, a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War who flew hundreds of missions and risked his life to save four of his countrymen caught in a firefight.
"When I called Larry to let him know he finally was receiving this recognition, his response was, 'I thought you had to do something to receive the Medal of Honor,'" the president said during the White House ceremony. "Let me say that again, he said, 'I thought you had to do something to receive the Medal of Honor.' Well Larry, you sure as hell did something, man."
Taylor was a first lieutenant on June 18, 1968, when he deployed in support of a patrol that had been surrounded by an enemy force. Braving intense fire in pitch black conditions, Taylor and his wingman made low-level attack runs. As they neared the end of their ammunition, Taylor learned that a plan to rescue the patrol had been canceled. So, Taylor decided to extract the team using his two-man Cobra helicopter — something the White House says had never been attempted, let alone accomplished.
"The rescue helicopter was not coming," Mr. Biden said as he retold the story Tuesday. "Instead, Lieutenant Taylor received a direct order: Return to base. His response was just as direct: 'I'm getting my men out. I'm getting my men out.' Lieutenant Taylor would perform the extraction himself, a move never before accomplished in a Cobra."
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-awards-medal-of-honor-to-vietnam-pilot-larry-taylor/
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