Terry Patrick Richardson

WOUNDED, HE KEPT DIRECTING AIR STRIKES TO SAVE HIS SOLDIERS.

Terry Patrick Richardson (born January 7, 1948) is a retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major and Medal of Honor recipient. Raised in Cass City, Michigan, he was the oldest of 13 children and worked at his father’s gas station and on the family farm. After graduating from Akron-Fairgrove High School in 1966, he continued working with his family until he was drafted in May 1967. He excelled at noncommissioned officer school, became a staff sergeant, and deployed to Vietnam in 1968 with Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.

On September 14, 1968, Richardson was leading a reconnaissance mission near Lộc Ninh when his platoon came under heavy fire from a well-entrenched North Vietnamese force near Hill 222. He repeatedly crossed exposed ground to rescue three wounded soldiers, then helped his surrounded company by moving up the hill to direct tactical air strikes against enemy positions. A sniper shot him in the leg about an hour into the mission, but he stayed on the radio for seven more hours, guiding approximately 32 strikes until the enemy withdrew. The official Medal of Honor citation credits his actions with saving 85 lives and helping the company secure the hill. It recognizes his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at grave risk to his life.

President Donald J. Trump presented Richardson the Medal of Honor at the White House on March 2, 2026, decades after the action. He left active duty in 1969 and returned to Michigan, working in construction and the gas industry before joining the Michigan National Guard in 1978. He served as post command sergeant major at Camp Grayling and retired in 2008. After retirement, he continued supporting veterans, including driving them to medical appointments through Disabled American Veterans. His career joined a defining act of combat leadership with decades of service to soldiers and the veteran community.

Sources: “Command Sergeant Major Terry P. Richardson,” Medal of Honor Recipient, The United States Army; “Command Sergeant Major Terry P. Richardson,” Congressional Medal of Honor Society.