sor, 4/5 Infantry Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, 
Army of the Republic of Vietnam. 
(2) From March 1, 1969 through March 3, 
1969, during the Vietnam War, such battalion was 
ordered to forestall an imminent attack on Quang 
Ngai City threatened by units of the North Viet-
namese Army (hereinafter, ‘‘NVA’’). The 4/5 Bat-
talion engaged unabatedly with an entrenched NVA 
regiment over the course of three days. Captain 
Griffin (hereinafter, ‘‘CPT Griffin’’) risked his life 
and disregarded his personal safety, all above and 
beyond his duty, on some 20 occasions, to lead his 
battalion in the fight as well as direct gunships, air, 
and artillery strikes on the enemy positions. 
(3) During the initial phase of battle, CPT 
Griffin made numerous trips across 50 meters of 
open ground, while under heavy automatic weapon, 
rocket, and small arms fire, to advise on the conduct 
of the battle and better direct strikes against enemy 
forces. Fearing slaughter of his soldiers, CPT Grif-
fin, with one of his counterparts from the Army of 
the Republic of Vietnam (hereinafter, ‘‘ARVN’’), 
charged directly into heavy enemy fire and assaulted 
a machine gun bunker. CPT Griffin continued these 
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runs, despite the enemy shooting the heels off CPT 
Griffin’s boots. 
(4) After taking out the NVA bunker, CPT 
Griffin brandished the captured machine gun and 
rocket launcher to exhort his battalion out of the kill 
zone and continue the assault into the enemy en-
trenchments while remaining exposed to heavy fire. 
CPT Griffin’s raw and intense close combat leader-
ship galvanized his battalion to move out of the kill 
zone and continue their mission. 
(5) CPT Griffin’s ARVN counterpart was 
struck by close fire, and CPT Griffin unhesitatingly 
carried the wounded commander to safety while 
shielding him with his own body against rocket and 
artillery fire. CPT Griffin proceeded to carry four 
more wounded soldiers to safety while protecting 
them with his own body, returning each time against 
devastating enemy fire. While leading the final at-
tack, CPT Griffin was hit three times in the chest 
by enemy small arms fire, yet continued to lead at 
the forefront of his battalion until the mission was 
completed. Under CPT Griffin’s command and lead-
ership, the 4/5 Battalion continued to reduce the 
enemy regiment’s fighting capacity. 
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(6) CPT Griffin’s personal leadership in intense 
close combat resulted in a major win for his bat-
talion against overwhelming odds, killing 93 enemy 
soldiers and saving the lives of over 300 allied sol-
diers by galvanizing and leading them out of the kill 
zone. 
(7) CPT Griffin’s selfless devotion to duty, his 
extraordinary heroism, conspicuous gallantry and in-
trepidity, and numerous risks of his life above and 
beyond the call of duty, are all in keeping with the 
highest traditions of the Army, and reflect great 
credit on himself, the Armed Forces, and the United 
States. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following with regards to the origi-
nal decision to award a Silver Star to Thomas Helmut 
Griffin: 
(1) When awarding him the Silver Star, CPT 
Griffin’s chain of command was unaware of the full 
extent of his valorous actions and the numerous 
risks he took for his soldiers, all above and beyond 
the call of duty. 
(2) Congress notes that although CPT Griffin 
was struck three times by enemy fire, and at one 
point was completely surrounded by the enemy, he 
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continued to fight and lead his battalion against dev-
astating and overwhelming enemy fire. 
(3) Congress notes that CPT Griffin’s Com-
manding Officer, Colonel Dean E. Hutter (ret.), sent 
a letter to the Department of the Army dated No-
vember 6, 2013, in which he accounts for the revela-
tion of additional, substantive and material evidence 
not known at the time of the decision to award the 
Silver Star, and in which he describes as compelling 
‘‘the justice of upgrading CPT Griffin’s sustained 
and varied acts of combat valor to their rightful level 
of recognition, the Medal of Honor’’. 
(4) Congress further notes that Colonel Hutter 
issued a letter to former United States Representa-
tive Sam Farr on September 15, 2011, noting his 
support for an upgrade from a Silver Star to a 
Medal of Honor, having recognized CPT Griffin’s 
acts of valor as, ‘‘numerous, selfless demonstrations 
of personal risk in pressing a close-combat attack 
against a well-entrenched element of a battalion-size 
enemy formation’’. 
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SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF AWARD OF MEDAL OF HONOR 
TO THOMAS HELMUT GRIFFIN FOR ACTS OF 
VALOR AS A MEMBER OF THE ARMY DURING 
THE VIETNAM WAR. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—Notwithstanding the time lim-
itations specified in section 7274 of title 10, United States 
Code, or any other time limitation with respect to the 
awarding of certain medals to persons who served in the 
Armed Forces, the President is authorized to award the 
Medal of Honor, under section 7271 of such title, to 
Thomas Helmut Griffin for the acts of valor described in 
subsection (b). 
(b) ACTS OF VALOR DESCRIBED.—The acts of valor 
described in this subsection are the actions of Thomas H. 
Griffin during the period of March 1 through March 3, 
1969, while serving as a captain in the Army during the 
Vietnam War, for which he was previously awarded the 
Silver Star. 
Æ 
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