Allen James Lynch

He braved enemy fire to rescue and defend three wounded men.

Allen James Lynch is a United States Army Medal of Honor recipient whose courage during the Vietnam War saved three wounded comrades. Born in Chicago, Illinois, on 28 October 1945, and raised in northwestern Indiana, Lynch enlisted in the Army in 1964. After serving in Germany, he volunteered for Vietnam, joining Company D, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).

On 15 December 1967, Specialist Four Lynch was serving as a radiotelephone operator near My An in Binh Dinh Province when his company encountered a numerically superior enemy force. Seeing three wounded soldiers exposed to enemy fire, he crossed open ground to reach them. He cleared an enemy-held trench and repeatedly returned through intense fire to carry the casualties into cover.

When his company withdrew, Lynch remained behind rather than abandon the wounded. For two hours, he defended their isolated position with his rifle and a grenade. He then carried the men across further exposed ground to a safer location before contacting a friendly company and helping arrange their evacuation.

For these actions, Lynch received the Medal of Honor from President Richard Nixon at the White House on 14 May 1970. He had been promoted to sergeant by the time of the presentation. His subsequent service in the United States Army Reserve and Illinois Army National Guard brought his military career to 21 years of service. He retired in 1994, having attained the rank of First Sergeant.

Lynch continued serving veterans throughout his civilian career. He worked as a Veterans Benefits Counselor and Chief of Ambulatory Care with the Veterans Administration, then led the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program in Illinois. From 1985 until his retirement in 2005, he headed the Illinois Attorney General’s Veterans Rights Bureau.

Through the Allen J. Lynch Medal of Honor Veterans Foundation, he extended that commitment to veterans facing financial hardship. His 2019 memoir, Zero to Hero, recounts his journey from childhood bullying to combat in Vietnam and his struggles after returning home. His life reflects a lasting commitment to the soldiers he served beside and the veterans he continued to support.