"Above the Best"

Army Aviation Hall of Fame 1990 Induction

Medal of Honor

Congressional Medal of Honor Citation:

Major (later Major General) Patrick H. Brady, U.S. Army, Medical Service Corps, 54th Medical Detachment, 67th Medical Group, 44th Medical Brigade. Place and Date: Near Chu Lai, Republic of Vietnam, 6 January 1968. Entered service at: Seattle, WA. Born: 1 October 1936, Philip, SD.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Major Brady distinguished himself while serving in the Republic of Vietnam commanding a UH-1H ambulance helicopter, by volunteering to rescue wounded men from a site in enemy held territory which was reported to be heavily defended and to be blanketed by fog. To reach the site, he descended through heavy fog and smoke and hovered slowly along the valley trail, turning his ship sideward to blow away the fog with the backwash from his rotor blades.

Despite the unchallenged, close range enemy fire, he found the dangerously small site, where he successfully landed and evacuated two badly wounded South Vietnamese soldiers. He was then called to another area completely covered by dense fog where American casualties lay only 50 meters from the enemy. Two aircraft had previously been shot down and others had made unsuccessful attempts to reach this site earlier in the day.

With unmatched skill and extraordinary courage, Major Brady made four flights to this embattled landing zone and successfully rescued all wounded.

On his third mission of the day Major Brady again landed at a site surrounded by the enemy. The friendly ground force, pinned down by enemy fire, had been unable to reach and secure the landing zone. Although his aircraft had been badly damaged and his controls partially shot away during his initial entry into this area, he returned minutes later and rescued the remaining injured. Shortly thereafter, obtaining a replacement aircraft, Major Brady was requested to land in an enemy minefield where a platoon of American soldiers was trapped. A mine detonated near his helicopter, wounding two crew members and damaging his ship. In spite of this, he managed to fly six severely injured patients to medical aid. Throughout that day Major Brady utilized three helicopters to evacuate a total of 51 seriously wounded men, many of whom would have perished without prompt medical treatment. Major Brady's bravery was in the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.

 

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