Army Captain to Receive Medal of Honor

Retired U.S. Army Capt. Gary M. Rose will be presented with the military's highest honor for heroism by President Donald Trump at an Oct. 23 ceremony at the White House.

Congress authorized the Medal of Honor for Rose, who will turn 70 on Oct. 17, last summer after years of lobbying by the military on the California native's behalf for his actions in saving and caring for dozens of fellow Soldiers during the so-called "Secret War in Laos."

Researcher and Army veteran Neil Thorne, who has drafted a number of medal applications for members of the secret Studies and Observations Group in which Rose served, told the New York Times last year that his will be the first Medal of Honor to expressly acknowledge the heroics of a Soldier on the ground in Operation Tailwind, which played out from Sept. 11-14, 1970, in Chavane, Laos.

At the time, President Richard M. Nixon was denying that American troops were even in the South East Asian country bordering Vietnam. The secrecy surrounding America's classified operations during the Vietnam War continues to this day; the White House announcement about next month's medal presentation does not mention that Rose was ever in Laos, in describing his heroics on the battlefield.

The statement says Rose "will receive the Medal of Honor for voluntarily risking his life on multiple occasions during combat operations while serving as a Medic with the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). From Sept. 11 through September 14, 1970, while his unit was engaged with a much larger force deep in enemy-controlled territory, then-Sergeant Rose repeatedly ran into the line of enemy fire to provide critical medical aid to his comrades, using his own body on one occasion to shield a wounded American from harm.

On the final day of the mission, although wounded himself, Sergeant Rose voluntarily exposed himself to enemy fire while moving wounded personnel to the extraction point, loading them into helicopters, and helping to repel an enemy assault on the American position. As he boarded the final extraction helicopter, intense enemy fire hit the helicopter, causing it to crash shortly after takeoff. Again, ignoring his own injuries, Sergeant Rose pulled the helicopter crew and members of his unit from the burning wreckage and provided medical aid until another extraction helicopter arrived."

On his second day in Laos, Rose was aiding a wounded Soldier when he "had a hole blown through my foot about the size of your thumb," he told USA TODAY. "That night I took my boot off to see how bad it was. My index finger, my whole finger, slipped into the hole. So I took my finger out. I remember putting my sock back on. I remember thinking, I'll worry about that later."

The meritorious conduct "must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life. There must be incontestable proof of the performance of the meritorious conduct, and each recommendation for the award must be considered on the standard of extraordinary merit."

Rose, previously was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the country's second-highest award for valor.

After 20 years in the Army, he worked as a technical consultant in the defense and auto industries, developing user and maintenance manuals and training programs and materials.

The father of three and grandfather of two is now retired and lives with his wife, Margaret, in Huntsville, Alabama, where he is active in a number of charitable organizations.