 Specialist McLuhan was awarded our nation's highest and most prestigious award for valor by the President of the United States, the Medal of Honor. This morning he will formally be inducted into the Pentagon's most sacred place, the Hall of Heroes. Our hosts for today's ceremony are the Secretary of Defense, the Honorable James Mattis, the Acting Secretary of the Army, the Honorable Robert M. Spear, the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Mark A. Milley, and the Sergeant Major of the Army, Daniel A. Daly. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for the singing of our National Anthem by Master Sergeant Clifton Auger and the invocation delivered by Chaplain Paul Hurley. O say can you see by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming, And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave the free and the home of the... Let us begin in prayer with these sacred words. No one has greater love than this to lay down one's life for one's friends. Let us pray. Almighty God, thank you for this time together and the privilege to serve you and our great nation. Our spirits are strengthened by your presence and your gift to us in the life of Specialist 5 James McLuhan and his family. His acts of courage and love nearly half a century ago forever witness to your love for all. In part to us today, O Lord, as an Army family, even greater faith, greater courage and greater devotion to all called to serve, and all who trace the actions of Specialist 5 McLuhan and his family. Bless us all now and always with your everlasting peace. Amen. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, General Milley. What a great day we have today. Forty-eight years late, but what a great day to honor the valour of Spec 5 Jim McLuhan. And Jim has been an American hero both in uniform and out of uniform. And I want to welcome everyone here today. It's a distinct honor for the Army, a distinct honor for the Department of Defense, a distinct honor for the entire nation. And as you grow up, you start reading history books about our country, about these great United States, and you uncover stories of folks in uniform and out of uniform who have courage above and beyond the call of duty. And those stories seem unreal. They seem that they occurred in incredible circumstances and against often insurmountable odds. Well, today we celebrate one of those stories, and we are lucky to have him here today in the form of Specialist Jim McLuhan. He's a living example of all that we all should be. His entry into the ranks of our greatest national heroes as a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor is 48 years overdue. And thanks to the men of Charlie Tigers, the Charlie Company 3rd Battalion 21st Infantry, for your personal years of persistence to ensure that Jim's valour was duly recognized. And many of Jim's teammates are here with us today as we add Jim's name alongside the 3,498 others who wear the Congressional Medal of Honor. I'd like to extend a special welcome to Jim's family, both his wife Sherry and his two sons James and Matt, and both of his brothers Michael and Thomas. We're all here today, and thank you for being here to honor Jim's bravery and courage. And thanks also to the members of Charlie Company 321 are here with us today. We've got William Arnold and Randall Clark, who was the PL at the time. Michael Martino, Charles Matthews, Joseph Middendorf, Kent Nielsen, Robert Pace, Michael Snyder, and the rest is Trush. There were many others in the company that day, but that's who's here with us today. And if you could honor us by standing to be recognized, without them, Jim wouldn't be receiving this medal. So thanks for all you've done, and welcome to all the distinguished visitors. There's really too many to recognize, but I do want to recognize Senator Peters from Michigan, of course, Secretary of Defense General Mattis, the Acting Secretary of the Army, Speer, and most significantly we've got six other Congressional Medal of Honor winners here today. I'd like to give them also a round of applause for your heroism and courage. So Secretary Mattis is going to describe the individual valor that Jim exhibited on those fateful days from 13 to 15 May 1969, and I'd like to give you a little bit of context. So let's step back in time a bit to 1968 when Jim was drafted with four other young men from Van Buren County, Michigan and assigned to be trained as a combat medic with basic training at Fort Knox and AIT at San Antonio, and Jim was roughly one of 25,000 young men being called into service each month that year as the United States reached its peak troop levels in Vietnam with over 536,000 soldiers, Marines, and sailors and airmen deployed across 67,000 square miles in four core tactical zones with terrain ranging from the swamps and rice paddies of the Mekong Delta to the hills and jungles of the Central Highlands. American allies such as Australia and South Korea and New Zealand and the Philippines, along with Thailand, had thousands of forces fighting alongside South Vietnamese, Arvind forces and American troops. Lyndon Johnson was our president when Jim was drafted, and then at the turn of the new year, in January 1969, the North Vietnamese launched their second Tet offensive known as Tet 69, just as Richard Nixon was being sworn in and inaugurated as our president. The American people had been shocked in the previous year at that Tet offensive, Tet 68. The war was widely seen by 1969 as deadlocked and highly controversial at home with protests and riots on America's streets. Nixon promised to find an honorable end to the war and turn the war over to the Vietnamese in a strategy called Vietnamization. At 5'5 and 130 pounds, Jim McLuhan left the United States and arrived in Vietnam on 7 March 1969, assigned to HAC 321 Infantry and attached as a combat medic to Charlie Company. When Jim left the United States, a gallon of gas was only 35 cents. Aquarius was the number one song by the fifth dimension. Our national debt, imagine this, our national debt was 365 billion half of the DOD budget today. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was the number one movie and Abbey Road was the best-selling album. The Kansas City Chiefs, whoever they may be, won the Super Bowl and unfortunately President Eisenhower died the same month Jim set foot in a totally different world of Vietnam, thousands of miles away from family, friends and home. 321 Infantry is part of the newly formed 196th Light Infantry Brigade, operating in the first core tactical zone out at Chu Lai in the northern portion of South Vietnam as part of the newly formed American L Division. The 196th had participated in several operations, famous ones like Attleboro and smaller ones like Frederick Hill which began in March of 1969, only two weeks after Jim's arrival with the purpose of searching and destroying enemy positions in their area of responsibility. Less than 60 days later, there were reports of enemy concentrations in the vicinity of Nui Long Hill near the South Vietnamese village of Tam Nhae. 321, with five of its line companies, got the mission to seize the hill and Charlie Tigers was tasked to conduct a combat air assault to establish blocking positions while other units would have flushed the enemy. Unfortunately reconnaissance and observation was not done and the man of Charlie Company had little idea what they were up against in this classic hammer and anvil operation, a search and destroy operation which was typical of ground operations by the United States in Vietnam. On 13 May 1969, the weather was hot, stifling humidity of the heat and tropical climate of South Vietnam as 89 brave American soldiers and Charlie Tigers went wheels up from LZ Center, a fire base, what we would now call a forward operating base in the western portion of Quang Nam Province designed to house artillery in the battalion headquarters. Jim was among the 89 getting onto the UH-1 slicks with a 130-pound rucksack full of medical kit to ensure he could care for his troops. A short while later, they landed on a hot LZ in close proximity of somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 enemy consisting of elements of at least two companies of the North Vietnamese regulars of the 2nd NVA Division augmented with somewhere between one and two regiments of Viet Cong. For two days, outnumbered 28-to-1, these young men of Charlie Tigers were in a fight for their lives defending against unrelenting assaults from the enemy. By the end of it, Lui Long Hill was cleared and taken but at heavy cost for the men of Charlie Company were 12 killed, 30 wounded and one missing in action. Only 46 came away from the battle unscathed and Jim was wounded three times. 50% of Charlie Company were casualties in just 48 hours which speaks to the intensity of the fighting. Those are statistics that match some of the most brutal fighting at places like Shiloh, the Musargon, Bastogne and even Iwo Jima. Although we honor the incredible heroism of Jim McLuhan today, every one of those men was a hero in his own right. Every one of them displayed uncommon valor against a vastly superior enemy and Jim will be the first to tell everybody he's wearing this Medal of Honor not for himself but for the company of heroes that he bled with in May of 1969. Today we honor Jim McLuhan, a man of conviction and of courage, a man who went above and beyond the call of duty and by honoring him we honor those heroes who fought, fled and died with him in a battle to defend their country and its ideals. Every one of you in Charlie Company, every soldier there is an inspiration to all of us that are alive today and Jim, you represent all of them. Today you are our hero, but you are all our heroes. Thanks for your heroism, thanks for your humanity, thanks for who you are. You represent all that is good in the American soldier in our way of life. Army strong. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Speer. Thank you, General Milley. Good morning. I'm thrilled to be here this morning to have the privilege to pay tribute to the courage, commitment and fidelity of James McLuhan. First, let me welcome all the distinguished guests here today and to offer this long overdue recognition. Most important, welcome to Jim McLuhan and his families. His traditional family, those with whom he shares a kinship. In his other family, the brothers in arms and whom we experienced unimaginable. To the men of Charlie Company and 3rd Battalion 21st Infantry, Regiment the 196th Light Infantry Brigade of the Maricale Division and to the other Medal of Honor recipients here today, it is an absolute honor to be in your company. Today as we add Specialist McLuhan to the Hall of Heroes, of course many know him simply as Doc, a moniker he's proud of. In fact, as I understand it, when he reconnected with his warrior brothers, it hadn't seen nearly over four decades. They had no idea who Jim was until he told him he was Doc McLuhan. General Douglas MacArthur credited athletics with preparing men for the challenges of battle. Writing, upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that upon other fields on other days will bear the fruits of victory. Jim is a prime example. A standout athlete, Jim attended Olivet College where he excelled at wrestling, football and baseball. Athletics was his passion and he wanted nothing more than to return to South Haven to Michigan to coach and teach. However, the nation called him and being a patriot like his uncle in the Korean War, his father in World War II and his grandfather in World War I, Jim McLuhan, served in this country in his time of need. What does it mean to distinguish oneself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of one's life above and beyond the call of duty? The criteria by which the Medal of Honor recommendations are judged. The criterion has been defined not being a simple discharge of duty, but to acts beyond the duty if refused the person should not be subject to criticism. Consider for the moment above and beyond the call of duty. The duty is action so bold and so dangerous that not acting would be reasonable. It has been said the bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them. Glory and danger alike and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it. Dick, Joe, I'm sorry, Doc McLuhan and certainly knew the danger that lay before him and his men, his brothers. However, not acting was against his character. As an athlete with 11 high school and seven collegiate Farsi letters, he had been in several pressure situations before. Circumstances requiring a leader to rise above the occasion, to make the great play and to demonstrate determination and persevere despite the odds. In the face of death in the fury of persistent enemy fire, Doc rose to the occasion. Repeatedly he risked his life so other men would persevere. Without food, without sleep and using his own limited water to treat the wounded, Doc persevered for his brothers. Wounded on the first day, he had the opportunity to leave the battle. In fact, the commander, his commander ordered him to do just that. But Doc wasn't going to abandon his men, his teammates in their greatest need. So he stayed. He was wounded twice more the following day. Yet he continued to treat and inspire his men. And only after bonding their wounds did he tend to his own. Jim is fond of telling people that life is about the moments of inspiration. Jim recalls having such a moment in the heat of battle, so inspiring that I asked him about it on a phone call this last Friday. And yesterday, President Trump related the moment during the White House Medal of Honor ceremony confirming the power of the emotional story. While tending to a wounded brother, Jim had a realization that he hadn't told his father that he loved him since he was a little boy. And after all the sons didn't tell fathers that back in the 1950s and 60s. At that moment, Jim McLuhan made a pact with God. He said, God, if you get me out of this hellhole, I promise I will be the absolute best father, best coach, and best teacher I possibly can be. And I will hug my father and tell him that I love him. Well, it appears that they each upheld the end of the agreement. Jim is here with us today. He has been inducted in six athletic coaching Hall of Fame. He and his wife, Cherie, have raised incredibly accomplished children. Jim has coached 133 teams over 38 years as well as officiating wrestling and officiating wrestling for over 20 years, including numerous state finals. Jim taught psychology and sociology for over 40 years. I did have one final question, though. So during our call, I asked, did you finally tell your father you loved him? Jim's response. Oh, yes. As soon as I saw him at the airport in Chicago, I gave him a huge hug and told him I loved him. Jim's story was particularly touching for me as I thought of my own dad as a teenager. I lived in Shilling Manor, Salina, Kansas, nicknamed Waiting Wife's Home. There was only there about 7,000 military families over the time period. Even as kids, we were keenly aware of the notification wagon, the chaplain's car, that would periodically slowly drive down the street, tightening the chest of onlookers, praying that it would continue past their home, who felt relieved when it did pass, then ashamed that their relief in the moment was another family's future would soon be destroyed. Identical scenes played out across military bases across our country. But for the families those drafted, many of whom preferred to remain in communities, notifications were sudden and unfamiliar. Leaving families devastated without support. Jim McLuhan prevented this from being the story for countless families. Families who today don't visit their sons or their brother, their father or their husband as a name carved in a black granite wall just three and a half miles from here. Jim is a 261st recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in Vietnam, 18 of which U.S. Army medical personnel. Eight of those earn the Medal posthumously, including Private First Class Daniel Shea, amazingly the other company medic at the Battle of Tom Key. Jim McLuhan will wear his Medal of Honor for those who individual exploits, whose courageous acts and whose valor in the face of overwhelming odds, lost, consumed by the noise, chaos and confusion of battle. He, like every other Medal of Honor recipient, is the first to say, it isn't, he isn't a hero. Rather, the hero's the ones that didn't make it home. I think he'd get plenty of argument from some of those he has impacted because of Doc's action, productive lives were led, weddings were attended, children and grandchildren were born and untold achievements were accomplished. First-hand accounts credit Doc with personally rescuing at least 10 Americans at Tom Key and saving the lives of many others with his medical skill that he had with other engagements. Several of those men join us here today. Wearing the Medal of Honor is certainly an enormous honor, but with it comes distinct burden of having to constant reminder of reliving the worst experience of a recipient's life. Memories being hopelessly terrified, the sights and sounds of battlefield carnage, the screams of men, the painful wounds in the permanence of death. Those who wear the Medal are asked to recount these events over and over. Yet they do so willingly for it is how they best able to honor their fallen brothers and sisters. Throughout the process, verifying the individual accounts of the battle, as well as the earlier interviews Jim has done, he has been the model of humility, constantly mindful of the sacrifice made by others in the legacy of their heroism. He has always been unpretentious about the actions to avoid diminishing others. To this day, he remains adamant he was simply doing his job for his team. The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in combat and Jim wears it proudly. But he'll tell you that despite all the medals presented to him, it means that his actions over three days over 48 years ago were recognized by his teammates. Their witness accounts instead fast determination to see heroic actions properly recognized are his greatest honor. During the hours of interview that Jim has provided, he made absolutely stoic. Even as he recounted the battle, tremendous details. In fact, he only gets emotional when he speaks to the day that he left his battle buddies. Jim McLuhan is a proud soldier for life. An ambassador of the United States Army and our sister services. Among the messages he delivers is one of resiliency and preparedness. Jim's parents instilled him a sense of compassion and raised him to consider others. Athletics provided Jim his sense of teamwork and commitment. Athletics provided Jim his sense of teamwork and commitment. His spirituality provided him reassurance. The combination of these makes it clear why Jim would not let others down in their time of need. Where he summoned his physical, mental and emotional endurance to persevere under the most extreme circumstances. If you prepare for the unknown and the unknowable, when the unthinkable happens, you'll be ready. As Jim says, everyone has their Vietnam. It isn't only in war. Life also presents challenges and being resilient and allows us to overcome these. Jim returned to athletics and education after the Army and he instilled the principles into young people he coached, taught and mentored. Now Jim has another platform for which to continue to spread a message of resiliency and readiness and I'm certain he'll continue to inspire others. Jim, Doc, it is a distinct honor to participate in your induction in the Hall of Heroes. Thank you for your lifetime of service to our nation. You are an inspiration to us all. Ladies and gentlemen, Secretary Mattis. Good morning ladies and gentlemen. G.K. Chesterson once said courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taken the form of a readiness to die. He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it. He must desire life like water and yet drink death like wine. Senator Peters, Deputy Secretary Shanahan, Secretary Speer, wonderful words, General Milley, great words, Sergeant Major Daley, but most of all to Charlie Tigers and Specialist 5 Jim McLuhan. Cherie, you married well to a most wonderful person. They met at the Messiah, a reminder for all you young troops to go to church. To the holders of the Medal of Honor who are here today, between you, Charlie's Tigers and Jim, you remind us of the gravity of the decisions we make in this building, the support we owe in this building and the enduring truth of combat, the need for a level of physical stamina that goes beyond words to describe it. And I would just tell you that you, your example, your story are welcome here with all the humbling impact it has on every one of us regardless of rank. You're a comrade in arms who reminds us what it is we're all about. Left unsung, a Greek poet wrote many, many years ago, a couple thousand, left unsung even the noblest deed will die. And thanks to the U.S. Congress, we are now going to make certain that that story will not die when Charlie's Tigers move on to meet their buddies. We will not deprive the rising generation of this vision of valor for in the fullness of time, they will give us the heroes that we hold them up to be for life. And that's exactly what will happen in this building as each generation of warriors comes through the U.S. military. Today, Jim, we hold you up. And I tell you, sir, that while this honor is long overdue, it comes in earnest. We are very, very honored to have you, your bride and your family here today. We stand in respect of you, of your warrior brothers and of your heroic sacrifice. Because you stand as a living example of America's awesome determination to defend herself, or what President Trump called yesterday, and I quote, America's unbreakable spirit. This son of South Haven, Michigan, a four-sport, as you know, varsity athlete, lettered, a collegiate wrestler, a football player, baseball player. He had planned for himself a life of quiet excellence in the classroom, given 100% there as your father had taught you, Jim, as a teacher, as a coach, and then destiny tapped him on the shoulder as it does to some men. Jim McLuhan was drafted to the Army at age 22, and I remember those days. I showed the Army. I ran down and joined the Marine infantry when it came my way, not the brightest draft dodger that ever walked the face of the earth. But I would tell you too that we look at your Army service and we detect a higher purpose unfolding. Your longtime love of athletics had bestowed a basic knowledge of sports medicine even in you, and it was ideally situating you for the medical specialist mission. With your competitive spirit that still shines through loud and clear today, soldier, and your physical daring so often displayed on the football field, you are going to make yourself a lifeline on the battlefield. An 8,000 miles away from his Michigan home near Tam K, Vietnam, in the most atavistic and I would say primitive environment on earth, Jim McLuhan lived the contradiction of courage. There the man his comrades called Doc stood tall when every human instinct would have kept the ordinary man down flat on his stomach. And Jim, you were not ordinary nor were your battle buddies that day. With a heat index over 100 degrees as you assaulted into that area, Specialist 4 Bill Arnold was thrown from his helicopter when it was down by enemy fire. And then Private McLuhan, the varsity football player, ran 100 meters over open ground again when any natural instinct would have said, just get down, dodging crossfire to rescue his wounded brother-in-arms and carry him to safety, carry him to safety. Remember the size of this soldier doing that in the midst of that heat and that battle. Bill later wrote, quote, I had seen him do some unbelievable stuff to save other soldiers before, but now he was risking his life for me. Only Doc McLuhan would run toward the enemy while everyone else was running away. Hour after hour, Jim would rise again and again over those days when his platoon was ambushed and wounded soldiers lay exposed to enemy fire as airstrikes raided metal down on the enemy and a rattle around them. The wrestler from South Haven ignored a direct order to remain under cover and went repeatedly into the kill zone to save his comrades. And think of that word repeatedly. He was so close to the assaulting enemy forces that Sergeant Joe Middendorf and Doug Hayton, M-60 machine gunners feared they'd shoot their own medic who still remembers to this day the machine gun bullets flying by his head. They said, I saw his clothing move as shrapnel hit him and Doc never flinched. Though wounded, Private Jim McLuhan refused to evacuate. In a firefight, it's the combat medic's job to cheat death and Jim knew it. When ordered to get on the chapter, he replied simply, you're going to need me. In fierce fighting the following day, Jim was wounded by shrapnel and small arms fire while treating soldiers in an open rice paddy. Night fell and supplies ran low. It was Private McLuhan who volunteered to hold a blinking strobe light in the dark. A beacon of hope to mark the place for the resupply drop. It was also a beacon for enemy fire. His Lieutenant Randall Clark accurately assessed the situation. McLuhan was a sitting duck. The fire was so thick they resupply bird could not make the drop. It left riddled by more than 20 bullet holes. When we think, Jim, of you lying there with the rocket propelled grenade flashing overhead, the scriptures come to mind, Psalm 91. You will not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day. Though many fell around him, no harm could overtake Jim McLuhan. As darkness dragged towards dawn, he continued to fight. He kept his boys alive for the evacuation at sunrise. Kent Nielsen, now a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, was one of them. And he said, without his aid, I believe I would have bled to death. In 48 hours of close combat, Jim sustained multiple wounds from shrapnel and small arms fire. He voluntarily risked his life nine separate times to rescue the wounded. Only Providence and soldiers like her here today who would not stop fighting could bring him alive through such hell on earth. We wonder how anyone could have such confidence in Jim Words, quote, to be confident you have to be fit, physically, psychologically, and your soul has to be fit. If you do the best that you can, nobody can ask for any more. He did his best in Vietnam and his best back home wasn't too bad either. He saved the lives of 10 members of his company on those days. On the battlefield, he touched 10,000 lives over the next 40 years in the classroom and on the athletic field. He resumed his chosen path, his dream job as teacher and a coach. For his life's work, he had been inducted into three Michigan high school coaching halls of fame. Today, James McLuhan takes his place in this hall, where his name joins another hero of New Yarn Hill, private first class Daniel Shea. In every significant way, we have their warrior brothers to thank for this reunion. They petitioned that Jim's bronze star with valor be upgraded to the Medal of Honor. It puts Jim's name where it belongs. But he does not see the honors his alone. He says, quote, it's really not a Jim McLuhan medal. It's a Charlie Company medal. We'll remember that message. To the boys of Charlie Company, thank you. Jim held the beacon that night in 1969. Today he is the beacon. We in the Department of Defense are humbled and honored to join you in holding him high. A guide to others to keep their souls fit and always do the best they can, always serve each other. Thank you. God bless you and the boys of Charlie Company. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you. Mr. Spear, General Milley, Sergeant Major of the Army Daily and Specialist McLuhan will now join Secretary Mattis on stage for the induction ceremony. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated during the presentations. The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Private First Class James C. McLuhan, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Private First Class James C. McLuhan distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty from May 13 through 15, 1969. While serving as a combat medic with Company C, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, American Division. The Company Air Assaulted into the area near Tam Kai and Nguyen Hill. On May 13, with complete disregard for his life, he ran 100 meters in an open field through heavy fire to rescue a comrade too injured to move and carried him to safety. That same day, 2nd Platoon was ordered to search the area near Nguyen Hill when the platoon was ambushed by a large North Vietnamese Army force and sustained heavy casualties. With complete disregard for his life and personal safety, Private First Class McLuhan led two Americans into the safety of a trench while being wounded by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade. He ignored a direct order to stay back and braved an enemy assault while moving into the kill zone on four more occasions to extract wounded comrades. He treated the injured, prepared the evacuation, and though bleeding heavily from shrapnel wounds on his head and body, refused evacuation to safety in order to remain at the battle site with his fellow soldiers who were heavily outnumbered by North Vietnamese Army forces. On May 14, the platoon was again ordered to move out towards Nguyen Hill. Private First Class McLuhan was wounded a second time by small arms fire and shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade while rendering aid to two soldiers in an open rice paddy. In the final phases of the attack, two companies from the 2nd North Vietnamese Army Division and an element of 700 soldiers from a Viet Cong regiment descended upon Company C's position on three sides. Private First Class McLuhan, again with complete disregard for his life, went into the crossfire numerous times throughout the battle to extract wounded soldiers while also fighting the enemy. His relentless and courageous actions inspired and motivated his comrades to fight for their survival. When supplies ran low, Private First Class McLuhan volunteered to hold a blinking strobe light in an open area as a marker for a nighttime resupply drop. He remained steadfast while bullets landed all around him and rocket-propelled grenades flew over his prone, exposed body. During the morning darkness of May 15, Private First Class McLuhan knocked out a rocket-propelled grenade position with a grenade, fought and eliminated enemy soldiers, treated numerous casualties, kept two critically wounded soldiers alive during the night and organized the dead and wounded for evacuation at daylight. His timely and courageous actions were instrumental in saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. Private First Class McLuhan's personal heroism, professional competence and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the American Division and the United States Army. Ladies and gentlemen, the Medal of Honor plaque will now be unveiled inducting Specialist McLuhan into the Hall of Heroes. At this time, the Medal of Honor flag will be presented to Specialist McLuhan. On 23 October 2002, Public Law 107-248 Section 8143 established the Medal of Honor flag to recognize service members who have distinguished themselves by gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty. The Medal of Honor flag commemorates the sacrifice and blood shed for our freedoms and gives emphasis to the Medal of Honor, being the highest award for valor by an individual serving in the armed forces of the United States. The light blue color with gold fringe bearing 13 white stars are adapted from the Medal of Honor ribbon. Thank you, Secretary Mattis, Mr. Speer, General Milley and Sergeant Major of the Army Daily. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, Specialist 5, James C. McLuhan. Thanks to all who have spoken before me today. General Milley, Acting Secretary Speer, Secretary Mattis. Thank you for your leadership in the world's most powerful military and the most powerful country in the world. This Medal is special because it has involved two presidents and two Secretary of Defense. My gratitude to President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama, former Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Defense Secretary General James Mattis, good first name, former Senator Carl Levin who worked four years on this project, Senator Debbie Stabenow, my wife says give it to a woman, she'll get it done. And Gary Peters, Congressman Fred Upton, other members of the Congress, Department of Defense guest, Gold Star families, very important people, fellow Medal of Honor brothers, I can now call you my brother, President Clark, the men of Charlie Company who wrote the eyewitness letters and the Army team from the Pentagon who has helped my wife and I through this journey. I love you. Thank you all for recognizing the extraordinary courage of the men I'm going to talk about here today. Thanks to my sidekick soulmate and wife, Shari, you are my rock. My sons, Jamie and Matt and their wives, my stepdaughter, Kara. She has a milestone birthday today. I'll let her tell you which one it is. My brothers, Mike and Tom and their families, my grandchildren, my extended family, fellow colleagues, athletes and friends. And of course, the men of Charlie Company and your families. I'd like to thank my Uncle Jack back home who couldn't be here today for being my idol, my inspiration and my encourager. And there's two very special spirits here today. My dad's first name was Oliver, but he was known as Scotty. McLuhan, you know, Scotty. Scotty and Margaret McLuhan who are looking down on this ceremony today. Thank you, Lord, for making them my parents and giving them a front row seat. I don't know if some of you, well, some of you will, others won't. But in the 70s, there was a song that came out and it was entitled, Short People Have No Reason To Live. I think that this blows the hell out of that theory, don't you think so? In an interview Friday, I mentioned that there were two things that I never dreamed would happen in my life. One was that the Medal of Honor would have my name attached to it. And the other was that I never thought I would be interviewed by a national TV network. I've never seen so many of them. And people claiming they were. Well, there's a third thing today that I thought would never happen either. I never thought that I'd be in a room with so many of the special people in my life while addressing the nation. This Medal is about love, a love so deep in the soul of the Charlie Tiger brothers and me that it's beyond measurement. I will be the caretaker of this Medal for the 89 Men Combat Assaulted by Helicopter into Tam Quay for the Battle of Nuyan Hill on May 13, 1969. Whether they came out alive or they didn't. We came from many parts of this great nation. Some were drafted, some volunteered, but all wrote a blank check to the people of the United States of America and South Vietnam. We leaped out of those choppers from 10 feet in the air into a place far different from the hometowns we grew up in. Each of us had a job. I've often said that I had a positive job in a negative situation. I was able to save lives. I took my duties really seriously as did the brothers over there from Charlie Company. As a medic, I followed the lead of my dad who told me as a small child, son, if you're given a job to do, never do it halfway. You do it to the best of your ability and carry it out to the end. He not only told me that, he showed me that. My dad walked the talk and his guidance is ingrained in me. All of us present that day had pledged an oath of loyalty to the country, to the army, to the constitution of the United States of America. But we could never be prepared for what we were about to face the next 48 hours. Our goals soon became getting as many of us out of there alive as we possibly could. Through the many battles we had already faced together, our brotherhood had grown stronger and thicker than blood. The bond we follow today will also follow us to heaven and beyond. My father passed to me another gift, a sense of humor. Along with the many things I carry in my medical pack, I always carried a few jokes or some funny comments that I would use often to lift the morale or keep the wounded soldier from going into shock. I love to see and hear people laugh, and I laugh at my own jokes right along with them. They're funny. I wouldn't tell them if they weren't funny. And Red Skelton was one of my favorites. He laughed along with his jokes too. I have continued to use this gift until the day that I die. As a matter of fact, I told my wife, Cherie, that I would like her to place a piece of paper on my chest at the funeral with a joke written on it. And I have requested that I have a smile on my face instead of that traditional sober look so that it appears that I am laughing along with those who read the joke. Let me give you a sample of a joke that I might tell. It's one about a Dear John letter. Those of you that maybe aren't military might not know, but a Dear John letter is one that is sent from a loved one back home, a girl, a significant other. And she is all of a sudden turning and running in the other direction. Well, Private Smith received one of those letters from his girlfriend, Marie, and she told him that she no longer loved him. She even told him that she was going with a guy that he knew, maybe even a best friend, that she wanted her picture back. So a good buddy of his, like one of the Charlie Tiger guys over here, noticed he was down in the dumps and asked him if he could see that picture of that girlfriend of which he produced for him, and his buddy walked off with it. He went to all the other Charlie Tiger buddies and asked if he could have a picture of their girlfriend. And they said, sure, they had some extras. Go ahead and take one. And his buddy wrote this letter to Marie, Dear Marie, I'm sorry that you don't love me anymore. And I understand that you would like to have your picture back. But I can't remember which one you are. So would you please take yours and send the others back. However, those brutal 48 hours were not funny. We discovered we were not alone. The first night when my second platoon was ordered to search and clear it. Now we got two helicopters shot down when we came in, right? And they're telling us to move out towards the enemy outside of our perimeter. I noticed and I glimpsed up on Nooyan Hill. And in the distance, the enemy looked like lava flowing down off the hill coming towards our position. We learned later that there were anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 NVA and 700 VC on that hill. Fortunately, we had each other and we were dedicated to duty. We also received help from the other branches of the military. Our survival would depend on a team much larger than ours, a team that was equally dedicated. Wounded the first day, I refused to board the medivac the evening of May 13th. As had been mentioned, an RPG exploded and it did its job on me. But I would have rather died on that battlefield than have heard later that one of my men was killed because their medic was not there. Sergeant Joe Mettendorf also refused to get on that chopper. He along with Sergeant Doug Hatton became a huge factor in keeping me alive and allowing me to rescue others. They continued to cover me for the last 24 hours with their machine guns. After nearly 50 years, the Purple Heart that Joe earned, earned, earned that day on the battlefield was finally pinned on him Sunday evening at the Army reception. Thank you, Joe, for your service and sacrifice. I'm sorry it took so long. I love you, brother. I owe much to my parents, family, mentors, teammates and friends for what I was able to accomplish as a medic. My character was molded by them and the mental discipline I learned from athletics allowed me to maintain my focus during our many battles. I also am thankful for the job I had at a funeral home during my high school years. It equipped me with the experience of working emergency situations. As a matter of fact, we were the emergency teams back then that we'd take the hearse out in emergency situations and it taught me how to handle death. Facing the death of those I knew in my school and my community helped me to cope with the responsibilities I had confronting death in Vietnam. But again, nothing could have prepared me for what I would face in that war. The brave soldiers who died in my arms will remain in my mind and my thoughts for the rest of my life. I heard the last words of 18, 19 and 20 year old boys. Some thought I was their mother. I saw them take their last breath. I wanted to say them all, but I couldn't. I still felt helpless and inadequate when it was impossible to do so. One of the best values I have learned from those I mentioned earlier is that of integrity. Doing the right thing even though nobody is watching has become automatic for me. However, my upbringing and belief is that someone is always watching. God is ever present. I was grateful he was close by in Vietnam. He gave me the faith and the hope I needed to carry on. One of the most important lessons in life I learned during the battle for Nú Yán Hill. I was in a trench contemplating how I was going to get one of my men who had been shot in the stomach through the crossfire into a relative safety of our makeshift perimeter. All of a sudden, a thought out of nowhere came over me. It had been since I was a small boy that I had told my father that I loved him. I knew he loved me and I assumed he knew I loved him, but boys and men did not say I love you to one another in those days. So I had a quick but profound conversation with God. I told him that if he would get me out of this hell on earth so I could look my father in the face again and tell him that I loved him, I'd be the best father, the best coach, the best teacher I was capable of being. At that moment, an incredible peace came over me. I knew that whatever happened to me after that was God's will, not mine. When I returned home, I ran to my dad and the Chicago airport hugged him and told him that I loved him and he did the same. It became our gift of greeting and departure for the rest of his life. He passed away September 4, 1991 at age 68. I have encouraged my children, my athletes, to do the same. My Charlie Tiger brothers and I say it to each other as well. See you later, Joe. I love you. Talk to you tomorrow. Life is not measured by the breaths that we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. The men of Charlie Company did things that would take your breath away. They looked into the face of danger and death. And with backs to the wall, we fought for each other until the enemy was beaten and went away. My long career as a teacher, coach, and wrestling official has allowed me to have many breathtaking experiences with students and athletes, performing extraordinary things, and some of those athletes are here today, including my two sons. If you played for me, would you stand at this moment? The big guy down front here is my grandson. I even got to coach my own grandson. My journey through life has taken me from the simplistic early rural life to high school and college as a student and an athlete to being a soldier and back to education as a teacher, coach, and official. I have been a part of many groups that carry the label team. Teams made up of ordinary people who go beyond the call of duty. I've seen them accomplish the same many, many different kinds of things to be possible through hard work, selfless sacrifice, and love for each other. When you hope and believe, when you have faith in God and each other, when you have love for someone or something bigger than yourself, anything can be accomplished. These men, my brothers, are living proof. Faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love. Finally, as a retired teacher, I want to give everyone here and those listening to this message today an assignment. Thought you were getting away. It's got free, didn't you? If there is someone you have neglected to say, I love you to do it today. You have so many avenues by which to carry out this assignment. So do it. Do not wait any longer. We are not promised tomorrow. I almost waited too long with my dad. God bless you all. God bless our military and government leaders. And on a final note to my fellow warriors. I would gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today. Because there isn't any doubt. I love this land. God bless the USA. Thank you, Specialist McLuhan. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing and join in singing the Army Song. The words to the Army Song can be found in your program. March along, sing our song with the army of the free. Count the brave, count the true, who have fought to victory. We're the Army and proud of our name. We're the Army and proudly proclaim. First to fight for the right and to build the nation's might. And the Army goes rolling along. Proud of all we have done fighting till the battle's won. And the Army goes rolling along. Then it's high, high, hey, the Army's on its way. Count off the cadence loud and strong. For where we go, you will always know that the Army goes rolling along. Ladies and gentlemen, please pause for a moment at your seats to allow the official party, Specialist McLuhan, his family, and battle brothers to exit the auditorium. Ladies and gentlemen, please continue to remain at your seats until your row has been released. Thank you, and this concludes today's ceremony.