Michael J Fitzmaurice, a native of North Dakota, was a U.S. Army Specialist fighting in Khe Sanh,Vietnam with the 101st Airborne.
On March 23, 1971, his bunker was attacked by NVA suicide bombers who bombarded his position with hand grenades. Fitzmaurice observed 3 explosive charges which had been thrown into the bunker by the enemy. Realizing the imminent danger to his comrades, and with complete disregard for his personal safety, he hurled 2 of the charges out of the bunker. He then threw his flak vest and himself over the remaining charge.
The grenade exploded and surprisingly didn't kill Fitzmaurice, but he did suffer severe wounds along with partial deafness and loss of vision. Despite his injuries, he got up and started slaying commies like a boss. Yet another grenade exploded in front of Fitzmaurice, but this time it only destroyed his rifle. At that point, he killed one of the fully-armed enemies with his bare hands and stole his weapon.
Fitzmaurice refused to be taken for medical treatment until they forced the remaining attackers to retreat. He managed to survive his wounds and was later awarded the Medal of Honor. "I don't know what made me do what I did, I was just doing a job I was supposed to be doing and I don't regret it one bit" #stayzero #zerofoxtrot #moh #vietnamwar #badass #airborne