V 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2399 

To authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor to Thomas H. 

Griffin for acts of valor as a member of the Army during the Vietnam 

War. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 29, 2023 

Mr. PANETTA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor 

to Thomas H. Griffin for acts of valor as a member 

of the Army during the Vietnam War. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. ACTS OF VALOR DESCRIBED. 

4 Congress recognizes the following acts of valor by 

5 Thomas Helmut Griffin: 

6 (1) Thomas Helmut Griffin distinguished him7 self by valorous actions against overwhelming odds 

8 while serving as a captain in the Army, Senior AdviVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:44 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2399.IH H2399

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1 sor, 4/5 Infantry Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, 

2 Army of the Republic of Vietnam. 

3 (2) From March 1, 1969 through March 3, 

4 1969, during the Vietnam War, such battalion was 

5 ordered to forestall an imminent attack on Quang 

6 Ngai City threatened by units of the North Viet7 namese Army (hereinafter, ‘‘NVA’’). The 4/5 Bat8 talion engaged unabatedly with an entrenched NVA 

9 regiment over the course of three days. Captain 

10 Griffin (hereinafter, ‘‘CPT Griffin’’) risked his life 

11 and disregarded his personal safety, all above and 

12 beyond his duty, on some 20 occasions, to lead his 

13 battalion in the fight as well as direct gunships, air, 

14 and artillery strikes on the enemy positions. 

15 (3) During the initial phase of battle, CPT 

16 Griffin made numerous trips across 50 meters of 

17 open ground, while under heavy automatic weapon, 

18 rocket, and small arms fire, to advise on the conduct 

19 of the battle and better direct strikes against enemy 

20 forces. Fearing slaughter of his soldiers, CPT Grif21 fin, with one of his counterparts from the Army of 

22 the Republic of Vietnam (hereinafter, ‘‘ARVN’’), 

23 charged directly into heavy enemy fire and assaulted 

24 a machine gun bunker. CPT Griffin continued these 


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1 runs, despite the enemy shooting the heels off CPT 

2 Griffin’s boots. 

3 (4) After taking out the NVA bunker, CPT 

4 Griffin brandished the captured machine gun and 

5 rocket launcher to exhort his battalion out of the kill 

6 zone and continue the assault into the enemy en7 trenchments while remaining exposed to heavy fire. 

8 CPT Griffin’s raw and intense close combat leader9 ship galvanized his battalion to move out of the kill 

10 zone and continue their mission. 

11 (5) CPT Griffin’s ARVN counterpart was 

12 struck by close fire, and CPT Griffin unhesitatingly 

13 carried the wounded commander to safety while 

14 shielding him with his own body against rocket and 

15 artillery fire. CPT Griffin proceeded to carry four 

16 more wounded soldiers to safety while protecting 

17 them with his own body, returning each time against 

18 devastating enemy fire. While leading the final at19 tack, CPT Griffin was hit three times in the chest 

20 by enemy small arms fire, yet continued to lead at 

21 the forefront of his battalion until the mission was 

22 completed. Under CPT Griffin’s command and lead23 ership, the 4/5 Battalion continued to reduce the 

24 enemy regiment’s fighting capacity. 


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1 (6) CPT Griffin’s personal leadership in intense 

2 close combat resulted in a major win for his bat3 talion against overwhelming odds, killing 93 enemy 

4 soldiers and saving the lives of over 300 allied sol5 diers by galvanizing and leading them out of the kill 

6 zone. 

7 (7) CPT Griffin’s selfless devotion to duty, his 

8 extraordinary heroism, conspicuous gallantry and in9 trepidity, and numerous risks of his life above and 

10 beyond the call of duty, are all in keeping with the 

11 highest traditions of the Army, and reflect great 

12 credit on himself, the Armed Forces, and the United 

13 States. 

14 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

15 Congress finds the following with regards to the origi16 nal decision to award a Silver Star to Thomas Helmut 

17 Griffin: 

18 (1) When awarding him the Silver Star, CPT 

19 Griffin’s chain of command was unaware of the full 

20 extent of his valorous actions and the numerous 

21 risks he took for his soldiers, all above and beyond 

22 the call of duty. 

23 (2) Congress notes that although CPT Griffin 

24 was struck three times by enemy fire, and at one 

25 point was completely surrounded by the enemy, he 


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1 continued to fight and lead his battalion against dev2 astating and overwhelming enemy fire. 

3 (3) Congress notes that CPT Griffin’s Com4 manding Officer, Colonel Dean E. Hutter (ret.), sent 

5 a letter to the Department of the Army dated No6 vember 6, 2013, in which he accounts for the revela7 tion of additional, substantive and material evidence 

8 not known at the time of the decision to award the 

9 Silver Star, and in which he describes as compelling 

10 ‘‘the justice of upgrading CPT Griffin’s sustained 

11 and varied acts of combat valor to their rightful level 

12 of recognition, the Medal of Honor’’. 

13 (4) Congress further notes that Colonel Hutter 

14 issued a letter to former United States Representa15 tive Sam Farr on September 15, 2011, noting his 

16 support for an upgrade from a Silver Star to a 

17 Medal of Honor, having recognized CPT Griffin’s 

18 acts of valor as, ‘‘numerous, selfless demonstrations 

19 of personal risk in pressing a close-combat attack 

20 against a well-entrenched element of a battalion-size 

21 enemy formation’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF AWARD OF MEDAL OF HONOR 

2 TO THOMAS HELMUT GRIFFIN FOR ACTS OF 

3 VALOR AS A MEMBER OF THE ARMY DURING 

4 THE VIETNAM WAR. 

5 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—Notwithstanding the time lim6 itations specified in section 7274 of title 10, United States 

7 Code, or any other time limitation with respect to the 

8 awarding of certain medals to persons who served in the 

9 Armed Forces, the President is authorized to award the 

10 Medal of Honor, under section 7271 of such title, to 

11 Thomas Helmut Griffin for the acts of valor described in 

12 subsection (b). 

13 (b) ACTS OF VALOR DESCRIBED.—The acts of valor 

14 described in this subsection are the actions of Thomas H. 

15 Griffin during the period of March 1 through March 3, 

16 1969, while serving as a captain in the Army during the 

17 Vietnam War, for which he was previously awarded the 

18 Silver Star. 

Æ 


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