- SURNAME
Beikirch
- FORENAME
Gary Burnell
- UNIT
5 SF Group (Company B Det B-24)
- RANK
Sergeant
- NUMBER
- AWARD
Medal of Honor
- PLACE
South Vietnam 1968
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
born 29.8.1947 Rochester, New York
father George William Beikirch (1910-1990)
mother Norma Lucille (nee Burnell) Beikirch Schwartz (1919-1993)
entered service Buffalo, New York
WIA 1.4.1968 Camp Dak Seang, Quang Duc Province, South Vietnam
died 26.12.2001 (Aged 74) Greece, New York, USA
White Haven Memorial Park, Pittsford, New York, USA
CITATION:
Medal of Honor : The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Gary Burnell Beikirch, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Detachment 8245, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, in action against enemy aggressor forces at Dak Seang, Republic of Vietnam, on 1 April 1970. Sergeant Beikirch, Medical Aidman, Detachment B-24, Company B, distinguished himself during the defense of Camp Dak Seang. The allied defenders suffered a number of casualties as a result of an intense, devastating attack launched by the enemy from well-concealed positions surrounding the camp. Sergeant Beikirch, with complete disregard for his personal safety, moved unhesitatingly through the withering enemy fire to his fallen comrades, applied first aid to their wounds and assisted them to the medical aid station. When informed that a seriously injured American officer was lying in an exposed position, Sergeant Beikirch ran immediately through the hail of fire. Although he was wounded seriously by fragments from an exploding enemy mortar shell, Sergeant Beikirch carried the officer to a medical aid station. Ignoring his own serious injuries, Sergeant Beikirch left the relative safety of the medical bunker to search for and evacuate other men who had been injured. He was again wounded as he dragged a critically injured Vietnamese soldier to the medical bunker while simultaneously applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to sustain his life. Sergeant Beikirch again refused treatment and continued his search for other casualties until he collapsed. Only then did he permit himself to be treated. Sergeant Beikirch's complete devotion to the welfare of his comrades, at the risk of his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
WEB LINKS:
https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/998FINDAGRAVE:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/235427913/gary-burnell-beikirch
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