Finnis D. McCleery

Twice wounded, he stormed enemy bunkers to capture Hill 352.

Finnis Dawson McCleery earned the Medal of Honor for an assault on fortified enemy positions near Tam Ky, South Vietnam, on 14 May 1968. Despite two shrapnel wounds, he broke into the bunker complex and rallied the soldiers following him.

Born in Stephenville, Texas, on 25 December 1927, McCleery entered military service in 1946 and served in occupied Germany. He returned to service during the Korean War, although he was not deployed to Korea, and reenlisted again in 1958.

In Vietnam, he served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry, 198th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division. He earned the Silver Star for gallantry at Lo Giang on 8 February 1968 and the Bronze Star Medal with “V” for protecting and assisting wounded soldiers under fire on 25 April.

On 14 May, enemy fire stopped the advance towards Hill 352. McCleery crossed exposed ground, attacked a key bunker with rifle fire and grenades, and continued despite being wounded. Standing on the captured position, he called his men forward before attacking further bunkers. Wounded again, he helped turn the stalled assault into a successful advance.

President Richard Nixon presented his Medal of Honor at the White House on 2 March 1971. After retiring from the Army in the early 1970s, McCleery returned to Texas and operated a refrigeration and air-conditioning repair business.

He died in San Angelo on 11 July 2002, aged 74, and is buried in Belvedere Memorial Park Cemetery.