If there ever were such a thing as an ordinary day in war, May 27, 1969, was it.
On that Memorial Day, Army Sgt. Charles Fleek and the men of C Co. 1/27th IR, 25th ID were sent to wait in ambush in an abandoned French rubber plantation in the Binh Duong Province. Fleek spotted 2 NVA soldiers and quickly engaged them, sparking off an intense battle.
During the chaos, he noticed an enemy hand grenade that land in the middle of his squad. Even though he could have easily jumped to cover, he instead opted to sacrifice his life by using his body to cover the device, absorbing the full brunt of the explosion.
He held on to his life up until he took his last breath on board the med evac chopper.
His actions saved the lives of 8 men and it would earn him in the Medal of Honor.
Fleek was only 21 years old and was on his 308th day in Vietnam, only a few months shy to going home.
Nothing else needs to be said. Rest easy warrior. #memorialday