The valor that former Army 1st Lt. Larry L. Taylor displayed on the night of June 18, 1968, near the hamlet of Ap Go Cong, South Vietnam, was extraordinary, said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III.
"He would never leave a man behind, now or ever," Austin said of Taylor at today's Hall of Heroes induction ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Arlington, Virginia.
Yesterday, President Joe Biden presented Taylor with the Medal of Honor.
The secretary spoke of how Taylor, an AH1-G Cobra attack helicopter pilot, rescued four U.S. reconnaissance soldiers surrounded by at least 80 enemy forces who were rapidly closing in on them.
Taylor realized that the soldiers were in grave danger so he flew dangerously low over the treetops to find them in the darkness, Austin said.
Over the next 45 minutes, Taylor, co-pilot Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 James Ratliff, and the four U.S. soldiers on the ground fought with everything they had as the enemy poured rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire at them, he said.
Taylor drew enemy fire toward his helicopter to spare the men on the ground, he said, adding that the helicopter was also running low on fuel.
With no evacuation helicopter on the way, Taylor knew that leaving them behind would have meant certain death, Austin said.
"The Cobra was only designed to carry a pilot, a co-pilot and ammunition," Austin said. "Evacuating soldiers with this kind of helicopter was absolutely unheard of. And most would never think to even try it. But after making it through an intense firefight and miraculously meeting up with the patrol team on the ground, Lt. Taylor was willing to improvise," Austin said.
The four men clung to the skids and rocket pods as the Cobra lifted them off to safety.
Once they were back on the ground, the four soldiers gave Taylor a salute and a grateful thumbs up, Austin said.
Over the years, Taylor has met with and corresponded with the men whose lives he saved, as well as with their families, Austin said.
Army Secretary Christine E. Wormuth also spoke about Taylor's time in the Army and his life in later years.
As a helicopter pilot, Taylor flew over 2,000 combat missions, came under enemy fire 340 times, and was forced down on five occasions, she said.
"Even after he left the service, he would continue to put others before himself," she said, noting that he taught at the Tennessee's School for the Deaf, was active in supporting his local Vietnam Veterans of America chapter, and made donations to the Boy Scouts and the Habitat for Humanity," she said.
Wormuth said Taylor's legacy continues to reverberate within the United States Army and motivate Americans from all walks of life. "Your dedication to service shown in the single act that we honor today has inspired many," she said.
"You have reminded us that when facing any problem, there is always a solution. And you should never give up. You have even said that if transported back in time and given the chance you would go back to Vietnam tomorrow and save those men all over again," she said.