KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A man from Chattanooga received the Medal of Honor on Tuesday after he flew a helicopter into an active combat zone in Vietnam to rescue a four-man patrol squad on June 18, 1968.
By flying the helicopter there, then-First Lt. Larry Taylor went against orders from his superior. He had no ammunition and was almost out of gas. Around 55 years later his getting the Medal of Honor for his actions.
"When he receives that medal on Tuesday afternoon, it's going to be designed by a Tennessean," said Vince Butler with the Medal of Honor Heritage Center. "It's the same medal that every Army Medal of Honor recipient receives. It has a lot of Tennessee ties and Chattanooga ties."
When Captain Larry Taylor went to evacuate the team, he told them to grab whatever they could. The helicopter had no passenger space and no evacuation ship, according to the MHHC. The team held onto rocket pods and struts while he gently and quickly left the area, pulling the team out of combat.
President Joe Biden will award him the medal at The White House. Taylor will be the 33rd Tennesseans to receive it.