President Joe Biden presents the Medal of Honor to Staff Sgt. Edward King City’s behavior during the Vietnam War, which his son John King City received posthumously at a White House ceremony on July 5. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden honored four Army soldiers, including two Japanese Americans, on July 5 with the nation’s highest military honor for their bravery during the Vietnam War. Said that their heroic spirit has not diminished even with the passage of time.
Biden presented the Medal of Honor to Staff Sgt. Edward N. King City, Spc. 5. Dwight W. Birdwell, Spc. Five Dennis M. Fujii and retired Major John J. Duffy.
During the ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Biden praised their heroism, noting that many like them did not receive “the full recognition they deserve.”
“Today, we are breaking records. We are raising the awards for four soldiers who displayed incredible acts of heroism during the Vietnam conflict,” Biden said.
“It’s shocking when you hear what each of them did,” he said. “They go far beyond the call of duty. It’s a phrase that’s used a lot, but … it comes alive when you see these people.”
“I am proud to finally bestow our highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, on each of you,” the president said to the three living soldiers and relatives of the late Kim Seong.
Biden noted, “It has been more than 50 years since these soldiers first proved their mettle in the jungles of Vietnam when they were young. But time has not diminished their astonishing courage and their selflessness in putting others’ lives above their own. , and how grateful we as a nation should be to them.”
Kim Sung, who was shot and killed by hostiles in Vietnam in 1967, received his honor for a raid on December 1, 1966, when his troops came under fire from North Vietnamese troops. His actions are believed to have helped his troops withdraw from the villages where they fought. Kinjo was born and raised in Hawaii, the son of Japanese immigrants.
Fujii was awarded the Medal of Honor for taking action to treat the wounded and directing air strikes on enemy positions within four days of the forced landing of an air ambulance in February 1971.
