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General Cyr: Let us pray.
Dear Lord, how grateful we are for the privilege of living in
America; the land of the free and the home of the brave.
We thank you for those throughout our nation's history
who have left the comfort and security of our shores to stand
between their loved homes and the war's desolation,
pledging their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor
to establish and maintain our precious freedoms.
Today, we offer special thanks for the sacrifice and service of
one of America's finest airmen, Chief Master Sergeant Richard
Etchberger; who won that fateful day in March, 1967,
demonstrated enormous courage and valor beyond the call of duty.
As the sons of this brave Air Force warrior receive on his
behalf our nation's highest military award,
the Medal of Honor, we know that they will stand just a little
taller and so also shall we, a very proud and grateful nation.
And now, as we honor this American hero and the family
who loved and supported him, we humbly ask that you grace
our time together with your presence and blessing.
In your holy and wondrous name we pray.
Amen.
In Unison: Amen.
President Obama: Please be seated.
Good afternoon.
And on behalf of Michelle and myself,
welcome to the White House.
And I thank you, General Cyr, for that wonderful invocation.
Of all the military decorations that our nation can bestow,
the highest is the Medal of Honor.
It is awarded for conspicuous gallantry,
for risking one's life in action,
for serving above and beyond the call of duty.
Today we present the Medal of Honor to an American who
displayed such gallantry more than four decades ago,
Chief Master Sergeant Richard L. Etchberger.
This medal reflects the gratitude of an entire nation,
so we are also joined by Vice President Biden and members of
Congress, including Congressman Earl Pomeroy and,
from Chief Etchberger's home state of Pennsylvania,
Congressman Tim Holden.
We are joined by leaders from across my administration,
including Secretary of Veterans Affairs Rick Shinseki,
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates,
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Jim
"Hoss" Cartwright and leaders from across our armed services,
including Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of
Staff General Norton Schwartz.
I want to acknowledge a group of Americans who understand the
valor we recognize today because they displayed it themselves --
members of the Medal of Honor Society.
Most of all, we welcome *** Etchberger's friends and family,
especially his brother, Robert, and ***'s three sons, Steve,
Richard and Cory.
For the Etchberger family, this is a day more than 40 years in the making.
Cory was just nine years old, but he can still remember that
winter in 1968 when he, his brothers and his mom were
escorted to the Pentagon.
The war in Vietnam was still raging.
*** Etchberger had given his life earlier that year.
Now, his family was being welcomed by the Air Force
chief of staff.
In a small private ceremony, *** was recognized with the
highest honor that the Air Force can give, the Air Force Cross.
These three sons were told that their dad was a hero,
that he had died while saving his fellow airmen.
But they weren't told much else.
Their father's work was classified,
and for years that's all they really knew.
Then nearly two decades later, the phone rang.
It was the Air Force, and their father's mission was finally
being declassified.
And that's when they learned the truth: that their father had
given his life not in Vietnam but in neighboring Laos.
That's when they began to learn the true measure of
their father's heroism.
*** Etchberger was a radar technician,
and he had been hand-picked for a secret assignment.
With a small team of men, he served at the summit of one
of the tallest mountains in Laos, more than a mile high,
literally above the clouds.
They manned a tiny radar station,
guiding American pilots in the air campaign
against North Vietnam.
*** and his crew believed that they could help turn the tide of
the war, perhaps even end it, and that's why North Vietnamese
forces were determined to shut it down.
They sent their planes to strafe the Americans as they worked.
They moved in their troops.
And eventually *** and his team could look through their
binoculars and see that their mountain was surrounded by
thousands of North Vietnamese troops.
*** and his crew at that point had a decision to make: Ask to
be evacuated or continue the mission for another day.
They believed that no one could possibly scale the mountain's
steep cliffs, and they believed in their work.
So they stayed.
They continued their mission.
There were 19 Americans on the mountain that evening.
When their shift was over, *** and his four men moved down to a
small rocky ledge on a safer side of the mountain.
And then, during the night, the enemy attacked.
Somehow fighters scaled the cliffs and overran the summit.
Down the side of the mountain *** and his men were now
trapped on that ledge.
The enemy lobbed down grenade after grenade, hour after hour.
*** and his men would grab those grenades and throw them
back or kick them into the valley below,
but the grenades kept coming.
One airman was killed and then another.
A third airman was wounded and then another.
Eventually *** was the only man standing.
As a technician, he had no formal combat training.
In fact, he had only recently been issued a rifle.
But *** Etchberger was the very definition of an NCO: a leader
determined to take care of his men.
When the enemy started moving down the rocks,
*** fought them off.
When it looked like the ledge would be overrun,
he called for air strikes within yards of his own position,
shaking the mountain and clearing the way for a rescue.
And in the morning light, an American helicopter
came into view.
Richard Etchberger lived the Airman's Creed: to never leave
an airman behind, to never falter, to never fail.
So as the helicopter hovered above and lowered its sling,
*** loaded his wounded men one by one,
each time exposing himself to enemy fire.
And when another airman suddenly rushed forward after eluding the
enemy all night, *** loaded him too, and finally himself.
They had made it off the mountain.
And that's when it happened.
The helicopter began to peel away.
A burst of gunfire erupted below.
*** was wounded.
And by the time they landed at the nearest base, he was gone.
Of those 19 men on the mountain that night,
only seven made it out alive.
Three of them owed their lives to the actions
of *** Etchberger.
Today we're honored to be joined by one of them, Mr. John Daniel.
Among the few who knew of ***'s actions,
there was a belief that his valor warranted our nation's
highest military honor.
But his mission had been a secret,
and that's how it stayed for those many years.
When their father's mission was finally declassified,
these three sons learned something else.
It turned out that their mother had known about ***'s work all
along, but she had been sworn to secrecy.
And she kept that promise -- to her husband and her country
-- all those years, not even telling her own sons.
So today is also a tribute to Catherine Etchberger,
and a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices
that our military spouses make on behalf of our nation.
Now, this story might have ended there,
with the family finally knowing the truth.
And for another two decades, it did.
But today also marks another chapter in a larger story of
our nation finally honoring that generation of Vietnam veterans
who served with dedication and courage,
but all too often were shunned when they came home -- which was
a disgrace that must never happen again.
A few years ago, an airman who never even knew *** Etchberger
read about his heroism, and felt he deserved something more.
So he wrote his congressman, who made it his mission to
get this done.
Today, we thank that airman, Retired Master Sergeant Robert
Dilley, and that congressman, Earl Pomeroy, who,
along with Congressman Holden, made this day possible.
Sadly, ***'s wife Catherine did not live to see this moment.
But today, Steve and Richard and Cory -- today,
your nation finally acknowledges and fully honors your father's bravery.
Because even though it has been 42 years,
it's never too -- too late to do the right thing.
And it's never too late to pay tribute to our Vietnam veterans
and their families.
In recent years, ***'s story has become known,
and Air Force bases have honored him with streets and buildings
in his name.
And at the base where he trained so long ago,
in Barksdale -- the -- Barksdale, in Louisiana,
there's a granite monument with an empty space next to his name,
and that space can finally be etched with the words
"Medal of Honor."
But the greatest memorial of all to *** Etchberger is the spirit
that we feel here today, the love that inspired him to serve
-- love for his country and love for this family.
And most eloquent -- the most eloquent expression of that
devotion are the words that he wrote himself to a friend back
home just months before he gave his life to our nation.
"I hate to be away from home," he wrote,
"from that small base above the clouds,
but I believe in the job."
He said, "It is the most challenging job I'll ever
have in my life."
And then he added, "I love it."
Our nation endures because there are patriots like Chief Master
Sergeant Richard Etchberger, and our troops who are serving as we
speak, who love this nation and defend it.
And their legacy lives on because their families and
fellow citizens preserve it.
And as Americans, we remain worthy of their example only so
long as we honor it, not merely with the medals that we present,
but by remaining true to the values and freedoms
for which they fight.
So please join me in welcoming Steve,
Richard and Cory for the reading of this citation.
(applause)
Military Aide: The President of the United States of America,
authorized by the Act of Congress, March 3, 1863,
has awarded, in the name of The Congress,
the Medal of Honor to Chief Master Sergeant Richard L.
Etchberger, United States Air Force,
for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life
above and beyond the call of duty.
Chief Master Sergeant Rchard L. Etchberger distinguished himself
by extraordinary heroism on March 11, 1968,
in the country of Laos, while assigned a Ground Radar Superintendent.
Detachment 1, 1043rd Radar Evacuation Squadron.
On that day, Chief Etchberger and his team of technicians were
manning a top-secret defensive position at Lima Site 85 when
the base was overrun by an enemy ground force.
Receiving sustained and withering heavy artillery attacks directly
upon his unit's position, Chief Etchberger's entire crew lay
dead or severely wounded.
Despite having received little or no combat training,
Chief Etchberger single-handedly held off the enemy with an M-16,
while simultaneously directing air strikes into the area and
calling for air rescue.
Because of his fierce defense and heroic and selfless actions,
he was able to deny the enemy access to his position and save
the lives of his remaining crew.
With the arrival of the rescue aircraft, Chief Etchberger,
without hesitation, repeatedly and deliberately risked his own
life, exposing himself to heavy enemy fire in order to place
three surviving wounded comrades into rescue slings hanging from
the hovering helicopter waiting to airlift them to safety.
With his remaining crew safely aboard,
Chief Etchberger finally climbed into an evacuation sling
himself, only to be fatally wounded by enemy ground fire
as he was being raised into the aircraft.
Chief Etchberger's bravery and determination in the face of
persistent enemy fire and overwhelming odds are in keeping
with the highest standards of performance and traditions
of military service.
Chief Etchberger's gallantry, self-sacrifice,
and profound concern for his fellow men at risk of his life,
above and beyond the call of duty,
reflect the highest credit upon himself
and the United States Air Force.
(Medal of Honor is presented)
(applause)
General Cyr: Let us pray.
And now, O Lord, as we close this Medal of Honor Ceremony and
our hearts have been stirred by the account of Chief Etchberger's
story of bravery and sacrifice.
We pray that we may respond with a renewed devotion to the cause
of peace and freedom.
We also pray for your blessing and protection to be upon
America's sons and daughters who stand in harms way today and for
their loved ones who prayerfully and patiently wait.
May our efforts, dear Lord, lead to a more secure and
prosperous world.
A world in which all people will one day live in harmony with you
and one another.
Amen and amen.
In Unison: Amen.
President Obama: Thank you very much, everyone.