{"id":44906,"date":"2018-09-25T20:50:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T20:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/09\/25\/50-years-later-marine-gunny-to-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-hue-city-heroics\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:52:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:52:59","slug":"50-years-later-marine-gunny-to-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-hue-city-heroics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/09\/25\/50-years-later-marine-gunny-to-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-hue-city-heroics\/","title":{"rendered":"50 years later, Marine gunny to be awarded the Medal of Honor for Hue City heroics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Retired Marine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/military-honor\/2018\/01\/30\/the-marine-gunny-who-kept-his-men-alive-at-hue-city\/\" target=_blank>Sgt. Maj. John Canley<\/a> will receive the Medal of Honor, the nation\u2019s highest award for valor, during a ceremony Oct. 17, the White House announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canley will be honored nearly a half century after his heroic actions in Hue City, Vietnam, saved the lives of Marines under his command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then-Gunnery Sgt. Canley led an undersized company of Marines during one of the Corps\u2019 bloodiest urban street battles in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/01\/30\/president-signs-bill-paving-way-for-medal-of-honor-for-marine-gunny\/\" target=\"_blank\"> Hue City<\/a>, Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outgunned by nearly 10,000 North Vietnamese Army soldiers, who assaulted the urban stronghold in January 1968 as part of the infamous surprise attack that would become known as the Tet Offensive, Canley took command of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment after its commanding officer was severely wounded at the outset of the battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, 1968, Canley exposed himself on numerous occasions to machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire as he led his company and helped keep his Marines alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1198\" height=\"628\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_1866-resize.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_1866-resize.jpg.jpg 1198w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_1866-resize.jpg.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_1866-resize.jpg.jpg?resize=768,403 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_1866-resize.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,537 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1198px) 100vw, 1198px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Canley\u2019s actions during the battle of Hue City, Vietnam, in 1968 have him one step away from receiving the nation\u2019s highest award for combat valor, the Medal of Honor. (Courtesy of the office of Julia Brownley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Feb. 6, 1968, Canley twice scaled the wall of a hospital in plain view of enemy forces to rescue and aid wounded Marines, according to a White House release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019d all be dead if it wasn\u2019t for the gunny,\u201d said former Marine Pfc. John Ligato, who served under Canley at Hue City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canley originally was awarded the Navy Cross, but fellow Marines Ligato and Eddie Neas helped lead an effort to upgrade the former gunny\u2019s award to the Medal of Honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/06\/the-hellish-journey-through-pentagons-red-tape-to-approve-a-medal-of-honor\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Canley-with-canteen.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The hellish journey through Pentagon\u2019s red tape to approve a Medal of Honor<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The gunny was 67 when the process started, and he is now 80.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canley\u2019s heroics are not a surprise to the men of Alpha Company who fought under the gunny\u2019s command, it was just a part of who he was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEverybody had a story about him,\u201d Neas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was usually a different situation but always the same story, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neas was a 19-year-old machine gunner and lance corporal in Canley\u2019s outfit during the Hue City fight, but he didn\u2019t join the infamous battle until Feb 4, 1968, a couple days after some of Canley\u2019s heroics, because he was fighting in Con Thien, in the Quang Tri province of Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nonetheless, Neas was well acquainted with Canley\u2019s leadership style, having survived a major battle in Con Thien in December 1967 when Canley was Alpha Company\u2019s gunny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was Dec. 15, 1967, and the men of Alpha were trying to assault an entrenched North Vietnamese position in Con Thien, but every time a Marine got up to move he was shot, Neas said, recounting the firefight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the machine gunners \u201ctook a shot right through the chest&#8221; and a corpsman sprinting to his aid also took a bullet, Neas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThen, out of the clear blue, Gunny Canley comes with this slow methodical walk that he had,\u201d Neas said. \u201cHe came down with rifle shots going off and picked up the corpsman and took him back to the rear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The towering gunny, who is over six feet tall, didn\u2019t even \u201cget a scratch,\u201d Neas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canley was known for leading from the front, checking on his men, and setting the example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen the sh*t hit the fan &#8230; men like Gunny Canley were already up in front with you,\u201d Neas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even then, it still took nearly 13 years to push Canley\u2019s medal upgrade through the Pentagon\u2019s red tape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"717\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/OperationHueCity1967wounded.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-50795\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/OperationHueCity1967wounded.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/OperationHueCity1967wounded.jpg.jpg?resize=300,210 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/OperationHueCity1967wounded.jpg.jpg?resize=768,538 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Navy Hospital Corpsman D.R. Howe treats the wounds of Pfc. D.A. Crum, with H Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, during Operation Hue City on Feb. 6, 1968. U.S. and South Vietnam forces lost hundreds of troops and inflicted thousands of casualties on the North Vietnamese in a house-to-house battle lasting more than a month. One lessons-learned report on the fighting ended with this warning: \u201cBased upon our experiences during Operation Hue City, expect the unexpected, expect chaos, and plan for all possibilities.\u201d (National Archives\/Office of the Secretary of Defense)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe delays were never on the merits of Gunny Canley\u2019s actions, they were bureaucratic delays,\u201d Ligato said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canley\u2019s heroics at Hue City occurred over a half-century ago, and at the time there were no officers in the company to endorse him for the Medal of Honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another Marine in Canley\u2019s outfit was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for the Hue City fight in 1969. Canley endorsed the medal for Sgt. Alfredo Gonzalez, who was killed during the battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To push Canley\u2019s upgrade, Ligato needed to track down witness statements and endorsements from a chain of command that was mostly deceased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Out of 13 officers from Canley\u2019s chain of command, only Maj. Gen. Ray \u2018E-Tool\u2019 Smith and a Marine colonel were still alive to endorse the upgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canley\u2019s award nomination had to hit every wicket before it could be forwarded along in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every minor hiccup along the way would cause Canley\u2019s package to be rejected, which would add another two months, six months, or even a couple years to correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome Navy officer at the Department of the Navy rejected the Medal of Honor because he had a checklist before he could forward the package,\u201d Ligato said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ligato eventually teamed up with California Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif. to help speed up the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After years of review by the Defense Department, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis finally notified Brownley that the DoD would endorse Canley\u2019s upgrade to the Medal of Honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brownley spearheaded a bill in Congress to waive a five-year time restriction on awarding the Medal of Honor. By law, a service member must be awarded the medal within five years of the action that merited the award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brownley\u2019s bill passed the House on Dec. 21 and the Senate on Jan. 16. It was signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 29.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSergeant Major Canley is a shining example of why our armed forces are the best military in the world, and his heroism and bravery showcases what being an American hero truly means,\u201d Brownley said in a press release. \u201cI am so happy that the White House has announced that he will receive the Medal of Honor for his gallantry during the Vietnam War.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 200 Americans were killed and more than 1,000 wounded during the nearly month long fight to dislodge NVA soldiers in the bloody street-to-street battle that engulfed Hue City in 1968.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"229\" height=\"339\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Canley-in-uniform-002.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-50801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Canley-in-uniform-002.jpg.jpg 229w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Canley-in-uniform-002.jpg.jpg?resize=203,300 203w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 229px) 100vw, 229px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gunny John Canley in uniform (Courtesy photo\/ California Congresswoman Julia Brownley&#8217;s office)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaders like Canley were pivotal in retaking the city and keeping scores of Marines alive in the urban battle that the Corps was ill-prepared for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Hue City urban fight still stands as a learning tool for Marines training to fight in dense city populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor a leader, basically the only thing you\u2019re thinking about is taking care of your people and defeating the enemy,\u201d Canley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rarely sleeping during the battle, Canley at times single-handedly repelled multiple attacks on his company\u2019s position, \u201cliterally charging machine gun positions with law rockets and hand grenades,\u201d Ligato recounted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, on July 9, Trump notified Canley by phone that he would be awarded the Medal of Honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe just basically said it\u2019s been a long time coming, he had approved it, and basically it would be awarded at a later date,\u201d Canley told Marine Corps Times, recounting his brief conversation with the president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly 100 men and families of Alpha Company are expected to be in Washington, D.C., during the Medal of Honor ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am accepting this on behalf of all the Marines I had the honor of serving with in Vietnam and who continue to be an inspiration to me every day,\u201d Canley said in a press release. \u201cTheir bravery and sacrifice is unparalleled.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Retired Sgt. Maj. John Canley will be awarded the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on Oct. 17.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":49939,"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":[3472],"class_list":["post-44906","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":"FHK72NFIKNC7XBNEDXFARTGHQM","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/09\/25\/50-years-later-marine-gunny-to-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-hue-city-heroics\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>50 years later, Marine gunny to be awarded the Medal of Honor for Hue City heroics - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Retired Sgt. 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John Canley will be awarded the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on Oct. 17.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/09\/25\/50-years-later-marine-gunny-to-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-hue-city-heroics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Military Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-09-25T20:50:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T20:52:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shawn Snow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shawn Snow\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/25\\\/50-years-later-marine-gunny-to-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-hue-city-heroics\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/25\\\/50-years-later-marine-gunny-to-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-hue-city-heroics\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"50 years later, Marine gunny to be awarded the Medal of Honor for Hue City heroics\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-09-25T20:50:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T20:52:59+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/25\\\/50-years-later-marine-gunny-to-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-hue-city-heroics\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1311,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/25\\\/50-years-later-marine-gunny-to-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-hue-city-heroics\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Canley-with-canteen.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Good News Report\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Left Column\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Military\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/25\\\/50-years-later-marine-gunny-to-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-hue-city-heroics\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/25\\\/50-years-later-marine-gunny-to-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-hue-city-heroics\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/25\\\/50-years-later-marine-gunny-to-be-awarded-the-medal-of-honor-for-hue-city-heroics\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"50 years later, Marine gunny to be awarded the Medal of Honor for Hue City heroics - 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