01/09/2026
On this day, 58 years ago, January 8, 1968, 20-year-old Specialist Fourth Class Gary G. Wetzel of the United States Army was fighting for survival near Ap D**g An in the Republic of Vietnam.
He served as a door gunner aboard a UH-1 helicopter with the 173rd Assault Helicopter Company.
His unit was part of an insertion force attempting to land near a communist-held village when the lead helicopter was hit by heavy enemy fire.
As Wetzel’s pilot maneuvered to assist the downed aircraft, their own helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled gr***de.
The explosion ripped through the aircraft and blew Wetzel out the door.
He landed in a rice paddy as the helicopter crashed nearby.
The blast had severed his left arm just below the shoulder, leaving it hanging by a mere shred of skin and muscle.
He also sustained serious shrapnel wounds to his right arm, chest, and left leg.
Despite the catastrophic loss of blood and the shock of his injuries, Wetzel fought to stay conscious.
He realized his crewmates were trapped in the wreckage and pinned down by an enemy automatic weapon emplacement.
Wetzel staggered back through the mud to the burning helicopter.
He climbed into the wreckage to retrieve his M-60 machine gun.
Since his left arm was useless, he jammed the stock of the weapon against his stomach to stabilize it.
He aimed the machine gun with his right arm and opened fire on the enemy position.
His accurate bursts suppressed the enemy gunners and silenced the automatic weapon that had been raking the crash site.
This suppression fire allowed his injured aircraft commander to drag himself out of the wreckage and toward safety.
Wetzel continued to fire until his machine gun jammed.
He abandoned the weapon and crawled through the paddy to aid his aircraft commander.
While dragging the wounded pilot toward the shelter of a nearby d**e, Wetzel lost consciousness from blood loss.
He awoke moments later to see the crew chief struggling to move the pilot to safety.
Wetzel forced himself to his feet and threw himself back into the effort.
With intense determination, he helped the crew chief drag the pilot over the d**e to a secure position.
Even then, Wetzel refused to quit.
He attempted to return to the crash site to help his other crew member but was physically unable to move any further.
When rescue helicopters arrived, he refused medical assistance for himself.
He directed the medics to treat the aircraft commander and the other crew members first.
Only after he was satisfied that his teammates were safe did he allow himself to be evacuated.
Gary Wetzel survived his wounds, though his left arm required amputation.
On November 19, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the Medal of Honor to Specialist Fourth Class Gary Wetzel during a ceremony at the White House.
Gary Wetzel is still alive and resides in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he remains active in the veteran community.
