SGT. Gordon Ray 

Roberts

(US Army)



56 years ago, on July 11,

 1969, Sergeant Gordon

 Ray Roberts, age 19, 

was serving as a

 rifleman with Company B, 

1st Battalion, 506th

 

 Infantry Regiment, 

101st Airborne Division

 (Airmobile), 

in Thua Thien Province, 

Republic of Vietnam.

His unit was participating

 in Operation 

Montgomery Rendezvous, 

a search-and-clear

 mission focused on

 removing 

North Vietnamese Army

 forces from the area.

Roberts' platoon was

advancing along a narrow ridgeline to support a

neighboring company

that had become pinned

down by intense

automatic weapons

fire coming

from entrenched enemy

positions.

As the platoon moved

forward, it was suddenly

caught in a lethal crossfire

from multiple

camouflaged North

Vietnamese bunkers

located on the slope

above.

The ambush stalled the

advance.

American forces began

taking heavy casualties

and were at risk of being

overrun.

 

Roberts took immediate

action.

He crawled forward under sustained enemy fire and,

when within close range,

sprang to his feet

and assaulted the first

bunker alone.

He fired his weapon

while moving,

reaching the bunker and

killing both enemy

soldiers inside.

Without pause, Roberts

turned and charged a

second bunker.

A burst of enemy fire

struck his rifle,

rendering it inoperable.

He picked up a fallen

comrade’s weapon

and continued the attack, successfully neutralizing

the second position.

 

Still under heavy fire and

acting alone,

Roberts pressed forward

toward a third enemy

emplacement.

He used hand grenades

to destroy the bunker

and eliminate its

occupants. Despite now

being isolated from his

unit, Roberts crossed

open ground and located elements of the trapped

company.

He joined their line and,

while exposed to fire,

began evacuating

wounded men from the

battlefield,

dragging and carrying

them to safer ground for

treatment and extraction.

 

After completing these

actions, Roberts returned

to his platoon

and continued the fight

until the enemy force

had been broken

and the mission was

secured.

 

Gordon Ray Roberts was

awarded the*Medal of

Honor* for his actions

on July 11, 1969.

President Richard Nixon

presented the medal

on March 2, 1971,

at the White House.

At the time of the action,

Roberts was 19 years old,

making him one of the

youngest

*Medal of Honor*

recipients of

the Vietnam War.

He remained in the Army

after the war,

eventually rising to the

rank of colonel before

retiring in 2012.

He is still with us,

living at the age of 75.

 

고든 레이 로버츠

 상사(미 육군)

56년 전인 1969년

 7월 11일, 

당시 19세였던 

고든 레이 로버츠 상사는 

베트남 공화국

 투아티엔 성에서

 제101공수사단(공수기동) 

제506보병연대 

제1대대 B중대 소총병으로 

복무하고 있었습니다. 

그의 부대는 

몽고메리 랑데부 작전에 

참여하고 있었는데, 

이 작전은 북베트남군을 

해당 지역에서 

몰아내는 데 

중점을 둔 수색 및 

소탕작전이었습니다.

로버츠 소대는 참호 

진지에서 쏟아지는 맹렬한

 기관총 사격에 포위된 

이웃 중대를 지원하기 위해 

좁은 능선을 따라 진격하고

 있었습니다. 

소대가 전진하던 중, 

갑자기 위쪽 경사면에 

위치한 여러 개의 위장된 

북베트남 벙커에서 

치명적인 십자포화를

 맞았습니다. 

매복 공격으로 진격이 

중단되었습니다. 

미군은 심각한 사상자를 

내기 시작했고, 전복 

위기에 처했습니다.

로버츠는 즉각적인 

조치를 취했습니다. 

그는 적의 지속적인 

사격을 받으며 앞으로

 기어가다가 근거리에

 다다르자 벌떡 일어나 

첫 번째 벙커를 단독으로 

공격했습니다. 

이동 중에도 총을 발사하여

 벙커에 도착하여 내부의 

적군 두 명을 사살했습니다. 

로버츠는 지체 없이 

돌아서 두 번째 벙커로 

돌격했습니다.

 적의 포탄이 그의 소총에

 명중하여 작동 불능이

 되었습니다. 

그는 쓰러진 동료의 무기를 

주워 들고 공격을 계속하여 

두 번째 진지를 성공적으로 

무력화시켰습니다.

여전히 맹렬한 포화 속에서 

홀로 작전을 수행하던

 로버츠는 세 번째 

적 진지를 향해 

전진했습니다. 

그는 수류탄을 사용하여

 벙커를 파괴하고 벙커 

안의 사람들을 

제거했습니다.

 이제 부대와 

고립되었음에도 불구하고, 

로버츠는 개활지를 

가로질러 포위된 중대의 

일부를 발견했습니다. 

그는 그들의 전선에

 합류하여 포화에 노출된 

상태에서 전장에서 

부상자들을 후송하기 

시작하여 치료 및 후송을 

위해 안전한 곳으로 

끌고 갔습니다.

이러한 작전을 완료한 후,

로버츠는 소대로 복귀하여

적군이 격파되고 

임무가 완료될 때까지 

전투를 계속했습니다.

고든 레이 로버츠는 

1969년 7월 11일, 

그의 공적으로

 *명예 훈장*을 

수여받았습니다. 

리처드 닉슨 대통령은

 1971년 3월 2일 

백악관에서 이 훈장을 

수여했습니다. 

당시 로버츠는 19세였으며, 

이는 베트남 전쟁에서 

가장 어린 명예 훈장

수상자 중 한 명이었습니다. 

그는 전쟁 후에도 군에

 남아서 대령까지 진급한 후

 2012년에 은퇴했습니다. 

그는 75세의 나이로 

아직도 우리와 함께

 살고 있습니다.

 

 

2025년 7월 24일