Robert D. Law

Shielding a reconnaissance team from a grenade

Robert David Law earned the Medal of Honor during a reconnaissance patrol in South Vietnam on February 22, 1969. A specialist fourth class in Company I (Ranger), 75th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, he moved to an exposed flank to provide suppressive fire when his team encountered enemy troops.

With ammunition running low, Law helped sustain the team’s defense. When a grenade landed among the soldiers, he covered it with his body, sacrificing his life to protect his comrades.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, on September 15, 1944, Law received the medal posthumously. President Richard M. Nixon presented it to his family at the White House on August 6, 1970. He is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth.

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Law distinguished himself while serving with Company I. While on a long-range reconnaissance patrol in Tinh Phuoc Thanh Province, Sp4c. Law and five comrades made contact with a small enemy patrol. As the opposing elements exchanged intense fire, he maneuvered to a perilously exposed position flanking his comrades and began placing suppressive fire on the hostile troops. Although his team was hindered by a low supply of ammunition and suffered from an unidentified irritating gas in the air, Sp4c. Law's spirited defense and challenging counterassault rallied his fellow soldiers against the well-equipped hostile troops. When an enemy grenade landed in his team's position, Sp4c. Law, instead of diving into the safety of a stream behind him, threw himself on the grenade to save the lives of his comrades. Sp4c. Law's extraordinary courage and profound concern for his fellow soldiers were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.