Robert Lewis Howard was a highly decorated U.S. Army Special Forces officer and Medal of Honor recipient for extraordinary heroism in the Vietnam War. He is widely regarded as one of the most decorated American soldiers of that conflict.wikipedia+1
Full name: Robert Lewis Howard.militaryhallofhonor+1
Born: July 11, 1939, in Alabama.wikipedia+1
Died: December 23, 2009, from pancreatic cancer.study+1
Service: United States Army, primarily with Special Forces (Green Berets) and MACV-SOG, 1956–1992.militaryhallofhonor+1
Rank at retirement: Colonel.wikipedia+1
Howard received the Medal of Honor for actions on December 30, 1968, during a mission to locate a missing American soldier in enemy-controlled territory in Southeast Asia.arsof-history+1
Serving as a platoon sergeant with a Special Forces-led hatchet force, he was wounded, blown unconscious, and had his weapon destroyed, yet repeatedly exposed himself to intense enemy fire to rescue his platoon leader, organize a defense, treat the wounded, and direct fire until helicopters could evacuate the unit.navyseals+1
President Richard Nixon presented him the Medal of Honor in 1971.navyseals+1
Howard was nominated for the Medal of Honor three times in about 13 months; the first two nominations were downgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star because the operations were covert.valor.militarytimes+1
Over roughly 54 months of combat in Vietnam, he was wounded 14 times and awarded eight Purple Hearts.valor.militarytimes+1
His decorations include: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, four Bronze Stars (with valor), multiple Purple Hearts, and numerous other U.S. and Vietnamese awards.valor.militarytimes+2
Howard spent much of his career in Special Forces, including multiple tours in Vietnam and service with the highly classified MACV-SOG conducting cross-border operations.sogsite+2
After Vietnam, he continued his Army career through senior leadership roles, earned advanced degrees, and later worked as an advocate and speaker for veterans, including visiting troops in Iraq.study+1
He is often described as possibly the most decorated U.S. service member since World War II and a legendary figure within the Special Forces community.war+2