Donald Russell Long

Rescued wounded cavalrymen and shielded a grenade

Donald Russell Long earned the Medal of Honor in South Vietnam on 30 June 1966. A sergeant in Troop C, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division, he repeatedly left the protection of an armored carrier to help wounded men during an ambush.

Long was born in Blackfork, Ohio, on 27 August 1939. His award was accredited to Ashland, Kentucky. He served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War.

A Viet Cong regiment attacked the reconnaissance column from concealed positions. Long carried casualties to evacuation helicopters, brought supplies forward and helped the wounded crew of a disabled carrier. As he reorganized men to continue fighting, a grenade landed on the carrier's deck. He warned the crew, pushed one man to safety and then covered the grenade with his body. He died protecting eight comrades from the explosion.

Secretary of the Army Stanley R. Resor presented the posthumous Medal of Honor to Long's family at the Pentagon on 8 February 1968. Long is buried in Union Baptist Church Cemetery in Blackfork. His citation recognizes sustained care for his men before his final sacrifice.

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Troops B and C, while conducting a reconnaissance mission along a road were suddenly attacked by a Viet Cong regiment, supported by mortars, recoilless rifles, and machine guns from concealed positions astride the road. Sgt. Long abandoned the relative safety of his armored personnel carrier and braved a withering hail of enemy fire to carry wounded men to evacuation helicopters. As the platoon fought its way forward to resupply advanced elements, Sgt. Long repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire at point-blank range to provide the needed supplies. While assaulting the Viet Cong position, Sgt. Long inspired his comrades by fearlessly standing unprotected to repel the enemy with rifle fire and grenades as they attempted to mount his carrier. When the enemy threatened to overrun a disabled carrier nearby, Sgt. Long again disregarded his own safety to help the severely wounded crew to safety. As he was handing arms to the less seriously wounded and reorganizing them to press the attack, an enemy grenade was hurled onto the carrier deck. Immediately recognizing the imminent danger, he instinctively shouted a warning to the crew and pushed to safety one man who had not heard his warning over the roar of battle. Realizing that these actions would not fully protect the exposed crewmen from the deadly explosion, he threw himself over the grenade to absorb the blast and thereby saved the lives of eight of his comrades at the expense of his life. Throughout the battle, Sgt. Long's extraordinary heroism, courage and supreme devotion to his men were in the finest tradition of the military service, and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.