Charles James Liteky

The Unarmed Chaplain Who Rescued 20 Soldiers Under Fire

Charles James Liteky earned the Medal of Honor for extraordinary bravery near Phuoc-Lac, South Vietnam, on 6 December 1967. An unarmed U.S. Army chaplain serving with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, he repeatedly entered enemy fire to rescue wounded soldiers, saving more than 20 men despite suffering wounds himself.

Born in Washington, D.C., on 14 February 1931, Liteky grew up in Florida and entered the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1960. He joined the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps in 1966 and deployed to Vietnam in April 1967, serving with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 199th Light Infantry Brigade.

On 6 December 1967, Liteky accompanied Company A, 4th Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, during a search-and-destroy operation near Phuoc-Lac in Bien Hoa Province. The company came under devastating fire from a battalion-sized enemy force. Soldiers were pinned down, with casualties lying exposed close to enemy positions.

Seeing two wounded men, Liteky advanced to within 15 metres of an enemy machine gun, shielding them with his body before dragging them toward a helicopter evacuation zone. He then returned to the battlefield.

Throughout the fighting, Liteky administered last rites, encouraged survivors and evacuated casualties. Unable to carry one badly wounded soldier, he rolled onto his back, placed the man across his chest and crawled toward safety using his elbows and heels. He rescued another soldier entangled in thorny vegetation and repeatedly stood under enemy fire to guide medical evacuation helicopters.

When the company was relieved on 7 December, Liteky had personally brought more than 20 wounded soldiers to safety despite wounds to his neck and foot.

President Lyndon B. Johnson presented him with the Medal of Honor at the White House on 19 November 1968. His Vietnam service extended through October 1968.

Liteky subsequently left the priesthood and married Judy Balch, a former nun. His experiences helped shape a lifelong commitment to peace and humanitarian activism.

On 29 July 1986, he returned his physical Medal of Honor at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, protesting American involvement in Central America. Although he renounced the decoration, his award remained part of the official military record.

In later years, Liteky participated in nonviolent demonstrations opposing American military intervention and the School of the Americas, sometimes accepting imprisonment for his activism.

Charles James Liteky died in San Francisco on 20 January 2017, aged 85. He was buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.

His legacy encompasses two remarkable chapters: an unarmed chaplain who repeatedly risked his life to save wounded soldiers, and a decorated veteran whose later convictions led him to surrender the physical symbol of his nation’s highest military honour.

Official Medal of Honor Citation

For the full official citation, see the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Charles James Liteky record.