Watch at 11:20 am ET as President Obama awards the Medal of Honor to Retired Lt. Col. Charles Kettles.
Ahead of the ceremony, President Obama took to Twitter to recognize Lt. Col. Kettles, who distinguished himself in combat operations near Duc Pho, Republic of Vietnam, on May 15, 1967 and is credited with saving the lives of 40 soldiers and four of his own crew members.
44 men came home because Chuck Kettles believed that we leave no man behind. That's America at our best. https://t.co/UymO2AaRHg
— President Obama (@POTUS) July 18, 2016
“I didn't do it by myself. There were some 74 pilots and crew members involved in this whole mission that day … They did their job, above and beyond. So the Medal is not mine. It's theirs.”
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Charles Kettles
44 men came home because Chuck Kettles believed that we leave no man behind. That's America at our best. https://t.co/UymO2AaRHg
— President Obama (@POTUS) July 18, 2016