Michael John Fitzmaurice

Michael John Fitzmaurice, born 9 March 1950 in Jamestown, North Dakota, served as a Specialist Fourth Class in U.S. Army Troop D, 2d Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division, and at Khe Sanh in the Republic of Vietnam on 23 March 1971 he and three fellow soldiers were occupying a bunker when a company of North Vietnamese sappers infiltrated the area. At the onset of the attack, Fitzmaurice saw three explosive charges thrown into the bunker and, realizing the imminent danger to his comrades, hurled two of them back out. He then threw his flak vest and himself over the remaining charge, absorbing the blast and shielding his fellow soldiers. Despite serious multiple wounds and partial loss of sight, he charged out of the bunker and fought the enemy until his rifle was damaged by the blast of an enemy hand grenade. While searching for another weapon, he encountered and overcame an enemy sapper in hand-to-hand combat, then obtained another weapon, returned to his original fighting position, and inflicted additional casualties on the attacking enemy. Though seriously wounded, he refused medical evacuation and remained at his post, and his extraordinary heroism contributed significantly to the successful defense of the position and saved the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota · United States