Capt. Larry Taylor: Vietnam War Hero Receives Medal of Honor from Biden for Saving Four Lives
On Tuesday, September 5, 2023, President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor, to retired Army Capt. Larry Taylor, a Vietnam War helicopter pilot who risked his life by flying into heavy enemy fire to save four members of a reconnaissance team from almost certain death as they were about to be overrun by the enemy.
The heroic rescue mission
The event that earned Taylor the Medal of Honor took place on the night of June 18, 1968, near the village of Ap Go Cong, Republic of Vietnam. Larry, then a first lieutenant, was commanding a light fire team of two Cobra helicopter gunships that were scrambled on a nighttime mission in response to an urgent call for aerial fire support from a four-man long-range reconnaissance patrol team.
The patrol team had been discovered and surrounded by a larger force of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops, and was engaged in an intense firefight. They were running out of ammunition and had no escape route. He and his wingman arrived at the scene and requested illumination rounds and supporting artillery to help identify the enemy positions. They then began firing their Miniguns and rockets at the enemy, making low-level attack runs and braving intense ground fire for about half an hour.
As both helicopters were running low on fuel and ammunition, and the enemy was still advancing, Larry realized that the patrol team would not survive if they tried to reach their original extraction point near the river. He decided to improvise a new plan: he directed his wingman to fire his remaining rounds along the team’s eastern flank and return to base camp, while he fired his last rounds on the western flank. He then used his landing lights to distract the enemy and buy time for the patrol team to head south and east toward a new extraction point that he had identified.
Larry Taylor then landed his Cobra helicopter under heavy enemy fire and with complete disregard for his personal safety. The four team members rushed toward the helicopter and clung to the exterior, as there was no room inside. Taylor then lifted off and flew them to safety at a nearby water treatment plant where other Americans were waiting on the ground. He was on the ground for about 10 seconds.
He later recalled that he did not think too much about his actions that night: “I was doing my job,” he said. “And I knew that if I didn’t go down and get them, they wouldn’t like it.”
Larry Taylor Wiki
| Data | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Larry L. Taylor |
| Date of birth | February 12, 1942 |
| Place of birth | Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| Rank | Captain (retired) |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Unit | D Troop (Air), 1st Squadron (Airmobile), 9th Cavalry Regiment |
| Date of action | June 18, 1968 |
| Place of action | Ap Go Cong, Republic of Vietnam |
| Award | Medal of Honor |
The Medal of Honor ceremony
His heroic actions were originally recognized with a Distinguished Service Cross, but in July 2023 it was announced that his award was being upgraded to the Medal of Honor after a review process initiated by Congress in 2002. The review aimed to identify service members who may have been overlooked for the Medal of Honor due to discrimination or other factors.
At the White House ceremony on Tuesday, President Biden praised Larry Taylor’s courage, selflessness, and concern for his fellow soldiers. He said that
Taylor rewrote the fate of four families for generations to come in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
Biden also noted that Taylor had flown over 1,000 combat missions in Vietnam, had been engaged by enemy fire 200 times, and had been shot down three times. He said that Larry was “one of those rare people who can do anything he sets his mind to.”
Larry Taylor, now 81 years old and living in Tennessee, was joined by his wife Sandra, his two sons Larry Jr. and Lewis, his daughter-in-law Jennifer, and his four grandchildren at the ceremony. He thanked God, his family, his fellow soldiers, and the president for the honor. He also paid tribute to those who did not make it back from Vietnam: “I accept this medal in their honor,” he said.
Quick Summary
- Larry Taylor is a retired Army helicopter pilot who received the Medal of Honor from President Joe Biden on September 5, 2023.
- He earned the medal for rescuing four members of a reconnaissance team who were surrounded by enemy troops in Vietnam on June 18, 1968.
- He flew his Cobra helicopter into heavy enemy fire and landed to pick up the four men, who had to cling to the exterior of the aircraft as there was no room inside.
- Taylor then flew them to safety at a nearby water treatment plant where other Americans were waiting on the ground.
- He was originally awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, but his award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor after a review process initiated by Congress in 2002.
- He flew over 1,000 combat missions in Vietnam, was engaged by enemy fire 200 times, and was shot down three times.
- He is one of the 3,515 recipients of the Medal of Honor out of 40 million who have served in the US military since the Civil War.
