DANIEL DEAN BRUCE

Medal of Honor · awarded posthumously

For conspicuous gallantry

Daniel Dean Bruce received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions on March 1, 1969. The official citation reads:

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to posthumously to

PRIVATE FIRST CLASS DANIEL D. BRUCE

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Mortar Man with Headquarters and Service Company, Third Battalion, Fifth s, First Marine Division, against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. Early on the morning of March 1, 1969, Private First Class Bruce was on watch in his night defensive position at Fire Support Base Tomahawk in Quang Nam Province when he heard movements ahead of him. An enemy explosive charge was thrown toward his position and he reacted instantly, catching the device and shouting to alert his companions. Realizing the danger to the adjacent position with its two occupants Private First Class Bruce Held the device to his body and attempted to carry it from the vicinity of the entrenched marines. As he moved away, Private First Class Bruce's indomitable courage, inspiring valor and selfless devotion to duty saved the lives of three of his fellow marines and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

/S/RICHARD M. NIXON

^ "Posthumous Medal of Honor award" (PDF). www.usmcu.edu. Retrieved April 17, 2025.

Citation text as reproduced in Wikipedia’s article on Daniel Dean Bruce; Medal of Honor citations are official U.S. government records. See also the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and all Medal of Honor recipients on the Wall.