On November 12, 1969. PFC Ralph Dias was part of a reaction force sent in to aid a pinned down platoon deep in the jungles of Vietnam.
As they reached the area, they too became pinned down by murderous fire. Without hesitation, Dias initiated an aggressive assault against an enemy machine gun bunker which was the principal source of hostile fire.
As he charged across open ground, Dias was wounded several times by enemy snipers. Bleeding profusely, he pulled himself to the shelter of a nearby rock. Braving enemy fire for a second time, Dias was again shot.
Unable to walk, he began crawling towards the bunker, repeatedly exposing himself to intense hostile fire while throwing several hand grenades at the machine gun emplacement.
Still determined to destroy the emplacement, Dias again moved into the open and was wounded a third time by sniper fire. As he threw a last grenade which destroyed the enemy position, he was mortally wounded by another enemy round.
The 19 year old Marine was shot over 7 times in the attempt to accomplish his mission and posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions. #stayzero #zerofoxtrot #marines