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\u201cThe recon platoon was outnumbered five to one,\u201d Walters said during the ceremony. \u201cHeavy machine gun fire, grenades and mortars were all dropping on and around the platoon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The soldiers were pinned down and taking heavy casualties from a crew-served machine gun somewhere in the dense jungle. Crary managed to spot the machine gunner\u2019s nest, and began returning fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen, on his own initiative, and with total disregard for his own personal safety, he jumped up and ran maneuvering towards the machine gun position,\u201d according to Crary\u2019s citation. \u201cIn doing so, Private First Class Crary exposed himself to counter-fire from nearby North Vietnamese camouflaged positions, which he methodically engaged and neutralized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cContinuing his one-man assault, he flanked the enemy machine gun, attacking and killing the enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Crary’s actions that day were credited with turning the tide of the battle. His remaining platoon-mates were afforded the time and space to return fire and neutralize other enemy positions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, what’s interesting here is Crary’s heroic actions were submitted for a Silver Star,\u201d Walters said. \u201cBut his Silver Star was not approved. … It was upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross. … How often does that happen?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reflecting on the 1966 event, Crary scoffed at the idea of being called a hero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just looked at it as I was doing my job,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was overwhelmed when the general called and asked if it could be done here at Fort Huachuca,\u201d Crary said. \u201cIt was just overwhelming, and a thankful addition to my life.\u201d Several friends who had served in the reconnaissance platoon with Crary were flown in to attend the award ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Walters described the difficult situation Crary and his fellow soldiers faced before and after the fateful ambush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe enemy were conducting an asymmetric approach to warfare. They made it difficult for our soldiers to determine friend from foe,\u201d Walters said. \u201cThe enemy blended in with the local population; they didn\u2019t wear uniforms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The American public was also not supportive of the war, which was often described as lacking a clear objective. Returning soldiers often faced the brunt of the disdain about the war from their fellow citizens, Walters explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToday, when we come back from Iraq or Afghanistan, we have people literally cheering for us in the airport,\u201d Walters said. \u201cThat was not the case for [these men].\u201d Also during the ceremony, Lt. Col. Andrew Kiser, the current commander of Crary\u2019s old unit, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, presented Crary with the Vietnam Service Medal and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st Battalion Command Sgt. Maj. Shelly Jenkins presented Crary with the Expert Rifle Marksmanship Badge and the Presidential Unit Citation, which were determined to be owed to Crary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military award that can be given to a member of the U.S. Army for extreme gallantry and risk of life in combat against an armed enemy force. The award is equivalent to the Navy Cross, the Air Force Cross and the Coast Guard Cross. The Distinguished Service Cross was awarded to a former soldier who had single-handedly charged an enemy machine gun nest .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":44952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":88,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[143,29,116,117,15,35,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3406],"class_list":["post-40047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-good-news-report","category-home","category-left-column","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"TW57GL5SVJFT3HPOB6DPBQUVLQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-army\/2018\/05\/23\/soldier-receives-nations-second-highest-award-for-valor-for-quick-thinking-during-jungle-ambush\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/33207314_10155678635480819_4908126430723833856_o.jpg.jpg\")
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