Gary B . Beikirch Gary Burnell Beikirch ( born August 29 , 1947 ) is a former United States Army soldier who received the United States military ' s highest decoration , the Medal of Honor , for his actions in the Vietnam War . A combat medic , Beikirch was awarded the medal for exposing himself to intense fire in order to rescue and treat the wounded , and for continuing to provide medical care despite his own serious wounds , during a battle at Camp Dak Seang , Vietnam . Early life . Beikirch was born on August 29 , 1947 , in Rochester , New York . Military service . Beikirch joined the U . S . Army in August 1967 , just after finishing his second year of college in upstate New York . He was interested in becoming a Green Beret from the very beginning . He completed basic training at Fort Dix , New Jersey , and then went on to Fort Benning , Georgia , for jump school . He completed jump school , passed the Special Forces test and went on to training at Fort Bragg , North Carolina . After finishing phase one special forces training , he completed training to become a combat medic . He was sent to Vietnam in July 1969 . In Vietnam , Beikirch served as a sergeant with Company B of the 5th Special Forces Group , 1st Special Forces . The group was stationed at Camp Dak Seang , home to Montagnard villagers and fighters , in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum . On April 1 , 1970 , the camp was attacked by a numerically superior North Vietnam ese force . While his Montagnard assistants treated the wounded , Beikirch fought back with a 4 . 2 inch mortar and , after that weapon was disabled by hostile fire , a machine gun . Learning that a fellow American soldier was wounded and lying in an exposed position , he ran through heavy fire to rescue the man . He was hit by shrapnel in the process , including one fragment which struck near his spine and partially paralyzed him . For the remainder of the battle he had his Montagnard assistants carry him from one position to another as he treated the injured . He was wounded in the side while giving mouth - to - mouth resuscitation to a Montagnard fighter and was then shot in the stomach . Despite this , he continued to provide medical care and fire his weapon from his stretcher until losing consciousness . He was evacuated by helicopter and spent six months recovering at Valley Forge Medical Center . For his actions at Camp Dak Seang , Beikirch was awarded the Medal of Honor . The medal was formally presented to him by President Richard Nixon on October 15 , 1973 . Later life . After his military service , Beikirch attended White Mountain Seminary in New Hampshire , graduating in 1975 . He planned to go back to Vietnam and work in a missionary hospital in Kon Tum Province , where he had served in the Army , however the country fell to North Vietnamese forces before he could return . He instead worked as a pastor and received a master ' s degree in counseling . Since the mid - 1980s he has worked as a guidance counselor at a middle school in his native Rochester , New York . On September 22 , 2012 , The Second Battalion of the Fifth Special Forces Group ( Airborne ) dedicated the new Battalion Operations Complex . The complex , formerly called " The Legion " was named Beikirch Hall in tribute to the former member of the unit . Medal of Honor citation . Beikirch ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty . Sgt . Beikirch , medical aidman , Detachment B - 24 , Company B , distinguished himself during the defense of Camp Dak Seang . The allied defenders suffered a number of casualties as a result of an intense , devastating attack launched by the enemy from well - concealed positions surrounding the camp . Sgt . Beikirch , with complete disregard for his personal safety , moved unhesitatingly through the withering enemy fire to his fallen comrades , applied first aid to their wounds and assisted them to the medical aid station . When informed that a seriously injured American officer was lying in an exposed position , Sgt . Beikirch ran immediately through the hail of fire . Although he was wounded seriously by fragments from an exploding enemy mortar shell , Sgt . Beikirch carried the officer to a medical aid station . Ignoring his own serious injuries , Sgt . Beikirch left the relative safety of the medical bunker to search for and evacuate other men who had been injured . He was again wounded as he dragged a critically injured Vietnamese soldier to the medical bunker while simultaneously applying mouth - to - mouth resuscitation to sustain his life . Sgt . Beikirch again refused treatment and continued his search for other casualties until he collapsed . Only then did he permit himself to be treated . Sgt . Beikirch ' s complete devotion to the welfare of his comrades , at the risk of his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him , his unit , and the U . S . Army .