September 05, 2023, 09:16 AM
12131September 5, 2023 - MEDAL OF HONOR: Captain Larry L. Taylor
https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/taylor/...
Taylor served in Vietnam from August 1967 to August 1968, flying some of the first Bell AH1-G Cobra attack helicopters in combat. Serving with D Troop (Air), 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division, Taylor flew over 2,000 combat missions in UH-1 and Cobra helicopters. He was engaged by enemy fire 340 times and was forced down five times. The U.S. Army awarded him at least 50 combat decorations, including the Silver Star, 43 Air Medals, a Bronze Star and two Distinguished Flying Crosses. He also received the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Bronze Star.
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Among his many harrowing operations, the most dangerous and frightening took place on June 18, 1968, when he rescued a four-man long range patrol team at significant risk to his own life. For his heroic actions that night, the Army awarded him the Silver Star, which President Joe Biden upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2023.
THE BATTLE
A FEAT THAT HAD NEVER BEEN ACCOMPLISHED OR EVEN ATTEMPTED.
JUNE 18, 1968 | NEAR AP GO CONG, BÌNH DƯƠNG PROVINCE, REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM
Then-1st Lt. Larry L. Taylor distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Troop D (Air), 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division, on June 18, 1968, near the hamlet of Ap Go Cong, Republic of Vietnam. On that night he flew one of two AH-1G Cobra helicopter gunships sent to support a four-man long-range reconnaissance patrol team that had been surrounded and was in danger of being overrun.
Taking off from their Phu Loi base, Taylor and his wingman arrived at the contact site just northeast of Saigon a few minutes later. Once overhead, Taylor radioed the patrol team and asked the four Soldiers to mark their location with flares. Using the illumination as a reference point, he and his wingman strafed the enemy with mini-guns and aerial rockets. Braving intense ground fire, the two Cobra gunships continued to make low-level attack runs for the next 45 minutes.
With both helicopters nearly out of ammunition and the enemy still closing in, Taylor reconnoitered the escape route the team intended to take. He concluded that the four Soldiers would be overwhelmed if they tried to reach their evacuation point near the Dong Nai River.
Returning to the patrol team's location, Taylor learned that a plan to rescue the Soldiers with a UH-1 “Huey” helicopter had been canceled because it stood almost no chance of success. Running low on fuel, with the patrol team nearly out of ammunition, Taylor decided on a bold and innovative plan to extract the team using his two-man Cobra helicopter, a feat that had never been accomplished or even attempted.
He directed his wingman to fire his remaining mini-gun rounds along the eastern flank of the patrol team and then return to base camp. Taylor fired his own remaining mini-gun rounds along the team's western flank, using his Cobra's landing lights to draw the enemy's attention while the patrol team headed southeast toward a nearby extraction point Taylor had designated.
When the team reached the site, Taylor landed his Cobra under heavy enemy fire and with complete disregard for his personal safety. The patrol team climbed aboard, sitting on the rocket-pods and skids, and Taylor carried them to a safe location before landing them back on the ground.
Taylor's conspicuous gallantry, his profound concern for his fellow Soldiers, and his intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
