The White House announced today that the President will be awarding Specialist Five James C. McCloughan the Medal of Honor on July 31st for his actions at Don Que, Vietnam, from May 13 to 15, 1969.
McCloughan was serving with Company C, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 196th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, as a private first class combat medic. McCloughan, then 23 years old, voluntarily risked his life on nine separate occasions to rescue wounded and disoriented comrades. He suffered wounds from shrapnel and small arms fire on three separate occasions, but refused medical evacuation to stay with his unit, and continued to brave enemy fire to rescue, treat, and defend wounded Americans.
After his draft period was paid off, McCloughan went on to teach for more than 40 years. According to the White House, he’s been a hero in Michigan for tons of kids;
McCloughan is a member of the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame; the Michigan High School Football Association Coaches Hall of Fame; the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame; and the Olivet College Athletic Hall of Fame.
From WOODTV;
“I feel honored to be able to accept this for the 89 men that fought that battle,” McCloughan said, referencing the number of American combatants, dozens of whom were killed, wounded or went missing during the 48 hours of fighting against hundreds of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong.
Then a 23-year-old private first class who was drafted a year earlier after earning a degree in sociology from Olivet College, McCloughan repeatedly entered the “kill zone” to rescue wounded comrades, despite being pelted with shrapnel from a rocket propelled grenade.
“It was a real bad sting,” McCloughan told The Associated Press during an interview at his South Haven home, not far from Lake Michigan. “But at that particular time, I was tending to two guys and dragging them at the same time into a trench line.
“I looked down, and I was covered with blood,” McCloughan said of the wound that prompted a captain to suggest he leave the battlefield to receive aid.
McCloughan had different ideas.
“He knew me enough to know that I wasn’t going, and he better listen to me.”
He did.
McCloughan stuck around until the battle’s conclusion, coming to the aid of his men and fighting the enemy, at one point knocking out an enemy RPG position with a grenade. In all, the Pentagon credits McCloughan with saving the lives of 10 members of his company.
McCloughan called the battle “the worst two days of my life.”
He was initially awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, but it’s been upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
McCloughan has already earned a slew of awards, including the Combat Medical Badge, two Bronze Stars, the U. S. Army Valorous Unit Citation and the National Defense Medal. He also earned two Purple Hearts, having been shot in the arm in addition to taking the RPG shrapnel.
Comments
30 responses to “James C. McCloughan to be awarded the Medal of Honor”
BZ!
A real hero – and showed it over and over judging from the other recognitions he has received since.
It’s never just the one thing with these guys. Amazing.
Bravo Zulu indeed!
Amazing story, both for the awards and his life after the war.
What a great hero story!
As AC/DC would put it – Big Balls. Thank you Jim McCloughan.
Bravo Zulu, big brother! Well earned!
Well done, “Doc.” I am proud to have served in the 3rd Bn/21st Inf in the Viet of the Nam. I temporarily commanded both C Company and D Company, in the field in December,1970 and August, 1971, respectively.
Gimlets!
HHC 2/21 at Ft Stewart in 86-87
BZ to James C. McCloughan…
SALUTE
E4 mafia gets a MOH.
Way to go.
Draftee. Served with honor.
America.
Well done Sir and it’s long overdue.
Hell yes! And did not embellished his time by claims of SF, special CIA, tabbed out, underwater,exo-atmospheric, non re-breather reentry qualified long range patrol assassin . ( With neurosurgeon bar). Sir this fellow medic salutes you!
He must have been stoked on adrenalin so that he barely felt the shrapnel hit him.
Way to go, Mr. McCloughan.
Best part of all is that he will still be alive when it will be placed around his neck. He beat both the NVA and Father Time.
I was on the Army’s Web site which went into the details of his Medal as well as the battle. Dude is so solid it’s not even funny. I can’t imagine. One line got me:
“McCloughan admitted that during the intense battle, it was surreal to be shooting at the enemy one moment and treating wounded North Vietnamese soldiers, as well as American Soldiers, the next.”
Just amazing.
Andy Kravetz, reporter
Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star
My son is a surgical technician in the Air Force. When he was in Afghanistan he says he worked on more Taliban than US soldiers.
BIG BRASS BALLS!
I can hear him walking down the hall…..
CLQNK! CLANK! CLANK!
This is the kind of medic we all were striving to be and hoped we could be if called on.
I think the men he saved would agree that this CMOH is LONG overdue. One can only hope to have his courage when/if faced with such brutal odds and combat.
Way to go Jim!!!! BBBA. Brass Ball Bad Ass!!!
BAMF
This man was my coach, teacher, mentor and friend. From 4th grade to the 12th. And as an adult.
I graduated high school with his son Jamie and two years before his son Matt
Glad to see this finally happen
Holy crap, indeed.
Congrats Doc. Thank you for your courage and bravery. My dad covered you when you kept going out even when told not to. You still have each other’s back today. Glad to have you in his life again. You both made it out for a reason and I am so happy to see you finally be honored.
Props to you, Sir. Outstanding display of heroism.
May GOD BLESS YOU JIM. You are A MANS MAN!