David Charles Dolby

He kept a battered platoon fighting through a deadly ambush.

David Charles Dolby earned the Medal of Honor in South Vietnam on 21 May 1966. Serving as a specialist fourth class in Company B, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, he rescued wounded men and helped organize resistance after his platoon was ambushed.

Dolby was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, on 14 May 1946. His award was accredited to Philadelphia.

Enemy fire from a ridge caused heavy casualties and critically wounded the platoon leader. Dolby moved injured soldiers to safety, arranged covering fire and attacked enemy positions. He returned repeatedly to the exposed forward area, marked bunkers with smoke grenades for air strikes and directed artillery against hostile weapons. During four hours of fighting, his actions helped the platoon reach safer positions and continue the assault.

President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the Medal of Honor at the White House on 28 September 1967. The citation names Dolby as a sergeant, distinguishing that rank from his rank during the action. After the Medal of Honor action, he returned repeatedly to Vietnam, completing five tours. He attained the rank of staff sergeant. In civilian life he remained involved with veterans, including a November 2004 Veterans Day visit to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3150 in Arlington, Virginia. He died in Spirit Lake, Idaho, on 6 August 2010 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, when his platoon, while advancing tactically, suddenly came under intense fire from the enemy located on a ridge immediately to the front. Six members of the platoon were killed instantly and a number were wounded, including the platoon leader. Sgt. Dolby's every move brought fire from the enemy. However, aware that the platoon leader was critically wounded, and that the platoon was in a precarious situation, Sgt. Dolby moved the wounded men to safety and deployed the remainder of the platoon to engage the enemy. Subsequently, his dying platoon leader ordered Sgt. Dolby to withdraw the forward elements to rejoin the platoon. Despite the continuing intense enemy fire and with utter disregard for his own safety, Sgt. Dolby positioned abled-bodied men to cover the withdrawal of the forward elements, assisted the wounded to the new position, and he, alone, attacked enemy positions until his ammunition was expended. Replenishing his ammunition, he returned to the area of most intense action, singlehandedly killed three enemy machine gunners, and neutralized the enemy fire, thus enabling friendly elements on the flank to advance on the enemy redoubt. He defied the enemy fire to personally carry a seriously wounded soldier to safety where he could be treated and, returning to the forward area, he crawled through withering fire to within 50 meters of the enemy bunkers and threw smoke grenades to mark them for air strikes. Although repeatedly under fire at close range from enemy snipers and automatic weapons, Sgt. Dolby directed artillery fire on the enemy and succeeded in silencing several enemy weapons. He remained in his exposed location until his comrades had displaced to more secure positions. His actions of unsurpassed valor during four hours of intense combat were a source of inspiration to his entire company, contributed significantly to the success of the overall assault on the enemy position, and were directly responsible for saving the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. Sgt. Dolby's heroism was in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.