About damn time, a Vietnam War helicopter pilot of 2000 missions has been awarded the Medal Of Honor, he's now 81 yrs old. In 1968 he flew his Cobra helicopter into a firefight to rescue four US troops from near certain death

On the night of 18 June 1968, the long range reconnaissance patrol team that then-1st Lt Taylor saved came under heavy fire and was surrounded by enemy troops outside Ho Chi Minh City.

Running low on fuel and ammunition, he made low-level attack runs as the enemy returned intense ground fire for about half an hour.

He had been ordered to return to base, but refused when he learned there was no other rescue helicopter being sent.

A Cobra had never before been used for such a mission before, the Army says.

When the men arrived at the location, 1st Lt Taylor landed the helicopter "with complete disregard for his personal safety" to pick up the four troops, the White House said.

The men had to cling to the outside of the two-person aircraft as there wasn't room inside.

"Lieutenant Taylor would perform the extraction himself, a move never before accomplished in a Cobra."

The Tennessee native's aircraft was hit multiple times amid the rescue mission.

"He refused to give up. He refused to leave a fellow American behind," Mr Biden said. "When duty called, Larry did everything to answer. He rewrote the fate of four families for generations to come."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66722741