Patrick Henry Brady Major General Patrick Henry Brady , USA ( born October 1 , 1936 ) is a retired American Army officer . While serving as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War , he received the United States military ' s highest decoration , the Medal of Honor . Biography . Brady attended O ' Dea High School in Seattle , Washington , a strict , all - boys school run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers , where he was active in sports . While in college at Seattle University , he initially hated the compulsory ROTC program and was kicked out . Brady realized he would probably be drafted after graduation and reentered the ROTC to enter the service as an officer . After graduation he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Army Medical Service Corps in 1959 . In 1961 he served in Berlin ( Germany ) with the 279th Station Hospital . He graduated from the United States Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker , Alabama in 1963 . During his first tour in Vietnam , then - Captain Brady served with the 57th Medical Detachment , where his commanding officer was the legendary Major Charles Kelly . After Kelly ' s death on July 1 , 1964 , Brady took command of the 57th Medical ' s Detachment A in Soc Trang . The following day , a Commander tossed the bullet that killed Kelly on Brady ' s desk in front of CPT Brady and asked if they were going to stop flying so aggressively . Brady picked up the bullet and replied , " we are going to keep flying exactly the way Kelly taught us to fly , without hesitation , anytime , anywhere . " On his second tour , Brady , now a Major , was second in command of the 54th Medical Detachment . It was during this tour that Brady was awarded his Congressional Medal of Honor . During his two tours in Vietnam Brady flew over 2 , 000 combat missions and evacuated more than 5000 wounded . After Vietnam Brady continued serving in the US Army , retiring as a Major General in 1993 after 34 years of service . He now serves as Chairman of the Citizens Flag Alliance , an organization dedicated to protecting the American flag from desecration . Medal of Honor citation . Rank and organization : Major , U . S . Army , Medical Service Corps , 54th Medical Detachment , 67th Medical Group , 44th Medical Brigade . Place and date : Near Chu Lai , Republic of Vietnam , January 6 , 1968 . Entered service at : Seattle , Wash . Born : October 1 , 1936 , Philip , S . Dak . Citation : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty , Maj . Brady distinguished himself while serving in the Republic of Vietnam commanding a UH - 1H ambulance helicopter , volunteered to rescue wounded men from a site in enemy held territory which was reported to be heavily defended and to be blanketed by fog . To reach the site he descended through heavy fog and smoke and hovered slowly along a valley trail , turning his ship sideward to blow away the fog with the backwash from his rotor blades . Despite the unchallenged , close - range enemy fire , he found the dangerously small site , where he successfully landed and evacuated 2 badly wounded South Vietnamese soldiers . He was then called to another area completely covered by dense fog where American casualties lay only 50 meters from the enemy . Two aircraft had previously been shot down and others had made unsuccessful attempts to reach this site earlier in the day . With unmatched skill and extraordinary courage , Maj . Brady made 4 flights to this embattled landing zone and successfully rescued all the wounded . On his third mission of the day Maj . Brady once again landed at a site surrounded by the enemy . The friendly ground force , pinned down by enemy fire , had been unable to reach and secure the landing zone . Although his aircraft had been badly damaged and his controls partially shot away during his initial entry into this area , he returned minutes later and rescued the remaining injured . Shortly thereafter , obtaining a replacement aircraft , Maj . Brady was requested to land in an enemy minefield where a platoon of American soldiers was trapped . A mine detonated near his helicopter , wounding 2 crewmembers and damaging his ship . In spite of this , he managed to fly 6 severely injured patients to medical aid . Throughout that day Maj . Brady utilized 3 helicopters to evacuate a total of 51 seriously wounded men , many of whom would have perished without prompt medical treatment . Maj . Brady ' s bravery was in the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself and the U . S . Army .