Bob Kerrey

He led his wounded SEAL team until the mission was complete.

Joseph Robert Kerrey was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on 27 August 1943. He earned a pharmacy degree at the University of Nebraska in 1965, joined the Navy the following year and qualified as a SEAL officer.

On 14 March 1969, Lieutenant Junior Grade Kerrey led a SEAL team against an enemy position on an island near Nha Trang, South Vietnam. A grenade inflicted severe injuries, ultimately costing him part of his right leg. He nevertheless continued directing his men until the mission and withdrawal were secured. President Richard Nixon presented his Medal of Honor on 14 May 1970.

After recovery and military retirement, Kerrey developed restaurant and fitness businesses in Nebraska. He served as governor from 1983 to 1987 and in the United States Senate from 1989 to 2001. He later became president of the New School in New York.

His war record also includes a separate, controversial February 1969 raid at Thanh Phong in which Vietnamese civilians died. Public accounts and testimony about that operation differ; it must not be confused with the March action recognized by his Medal of Honor. His Bronze Star belongs to that separate service history. His subsequent public career combined political leadership with continued debate over the experience and consequences of the Vietnam War.