On July 24, 1966, LCpl. Richard Pittman, along side the men from I Co. 3/5, were conducting operations near the DMZ, South Vietnam when the enemy ambushed them along a jungle trail.
With Marines pinned down ahead, Pittman dropped his rifle in exchange for a machine gun and rushed forward to aid his comrades. During his advance, Pittman destroyed several enemy positions, to include 2 heavy machinegun nests, while avoiding point blank enemy fire.
Learning that there were additional wounded Marines fifty yards further along the trail, he braved a withering hail of enemy mortar and small-arms fire to continue onward. As he reached the position where the leading Marines had fallen, he was suddenly confronted with a bold frontal attack by 30 to 40 enemy.
Totally disregarding his own safety, he began mowing down the enemy with his machinegun until it jammed. He then picked up a submachine gun and, together with a pistol, continued his lethal fire until the enemy force had withdrawn. Having exhausted his ammunition except for a grenade which he hurled at the enemy, he then rejoined his own platoon....like it was no big deal.
In 1968, his entire stack consisted of only 4 medals: The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal (w 2 bronze stars), the National Defense Service Medal, and the Medal of Honor.
Oh, and the above action was done while being blind in one eye. #nutdragger #hardfuck #stayzero #zerofoxtrot