John J Duffy
John was born in New York City on the 16th of March 1938, and not much information is recorded about his early life. It is known that he enlisted in the US Army in March of 1955, rose to the rank of Sergeant, and that he completed Officer Candidate School in 1963, commissioning as an Infantry Officer. John would deploy in support of the Vietnam War four times, and it was during his third deployment that he would display actions that would initially earn him the Distinguished Service Cross, which has now been upgraded to the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
Major John J. Duffy distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as the Senior Advisor to the 11th Airborne Battalion, 2d Brigade, Airborne Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam in the Republic of Vietnam, during the period of 14 to 15 April 1972. In the two days preceding the events of 14 to 15 April 1972, the commander of the 11th Airborne Battalion was killed, the battalion command post was destroyed, and Major Duffy was twice wounded but refused to be evacuated. Then on 14 April, Major Duffy directed the defense of Fire Support Base Charlie, which was surrounded by a battalion-size enemy element. In the morning hours, after a failed effort to establish a landing zone for resupply aircraft, he moved close to enemy anti-aircraft positions to call in airstrikes. At this time, Major Duffy was again wounded by fragments from a recoilless rifle round and again refused medical evacuation. Shortly thereafter, the enemy began an artillery bombardment on the base and he remained in an exposed position to direct gunships onto the enemy positions which eventually silenced the enemy fire. Following the bombardment, Major Duffy assessed the conditions on the base and personally ensured the wounded friendly foreign soldiers were moved to positions of relative safety and the remaining ammunition was appropriately distributed to the remaining defenders. Shortly thereafter, the enemy resumed indirect fire on the base, expending an estimated 300 rounds. Nevertheless, he remained in an exposed position to direct gunship fire on the enemy positions. In the late afternoon hours, the enemy began a ground assault from all sides of the firebase and Major Duffy moved from position to position to adjust fire, spot targets for artillery observers, and ultimately to direct gunship fire on a friendly position which had been compromised. As the evening wore on, it became clear that the defenders could not withstand the overwhelming enemy forces and he began to organize an evacuation of the firebase under the cover of night. With the goal of a complete withdrawal, Major Duffy was the last man off the base, remaining behind to adjust the covering fire from gunships until the last possible moment. When the acting battalion commander was wounded, he assumed command of the evacuation and maintained communication with the available air support to direct fire on the enemy. In the early morning hours of 15 April, the enemy ambushed the Battalion inflicting additional casualties and scattering some of the able-bodied soldiers. Major Duffy organized defensive positions during the ambush and ensured the friendly foreign forces could successfully repulse the enemy. After withstanding the ambush, he led the evacuees, many of whom were significantly wounded, to an established evacuation area, despite being continually pursued by the enemy. Upon reaching the exfiltration site, Major Duffy directed gunship fire on enemy positions and marked a landing zone for the helicopters. Only after ensuring all of the evacuees were aboard, did Major Duffy board while also assisting a wounded friendly foreign soldier in with him. Once on board, he administered aid to a helicopter door gunner who had been wounded during the evacuation. Major Duffy's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
John would finish his Army career at the rank of Major in 1977, after 22 years of service, and had received a total of 29 awards and decorations for valor, to include the Soldier’s Medal, four Bronze Stars with Valor device, eight Purple Hearts, seven Air Medals (of which six have a Valor device), three Army Commendation Medals with Valor device, and a Master Parachutist Badge (which requires a minimum of sixty-five jumps, including twenty-five combat equipment jumps).
John went on to not only become the president of a publishing company, but also has written seven books (some sources say more but I could only verify seven). He has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for his writings and he wrote the poem that is inscribed in the Vietnam War Forward Air Controller memorial in Colorado Springs:
THE FORWARD AIR CONTROLLER
IT IS THE LONELY MISSION,
THE FORWARD AIR CONTROLLER.
HIS EYES ARE THE EYES ABOVE THE BATTLE.
HE IS THE LINK TO THOSE BELOW.
WHILE OTHERS AVOID AND STRIKE FAST
HE LINGERS AND TROLLS FOR CONTACT,
SEEKING OUT THE ENEMY BELOW,
DETERMINING THE STRIKE FORCE NEEDED.
HIS IS THE JOB TO CONTROL THE AIR ATTACK,
HE DETERMINES THE NEEDS OF THE TROOPS,
AND WORKS THE AIRSTRIKE MARGINS.
HIS JUDGEMENT IS RELIED UPON BY ALL.
WATCHING A "FAC" ROLL IN HOT ON TARGET,
ALL GUNS BLAZING AT HIS DESTRUCTION,
IS TO WATCH A MAN OF COURAGE IN ACTION.
THIS IS THE DAILY JOB OF THE "FAC".
John also founded an investment firm that was later bought by TD Ameritrade. On the 27th of June 2022, the White House announced that his Distinguished Service Cross would be upgraded to the Medal of Honor and on the 5th of July, John J Duffy received the Medal of Honor from President Biden. Two days later, he was inducted into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes and at the time of writing this, he is 84 years old and resides in California.
