STEPHEN HELDEN DOANE

Medal of Honor · awarded posthumously

For conspicuous gallantry

Stephen Helden Doane received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions on March 25, 1969. The official citation reads:

First Lieutenant Doane's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. First Lt. Doane was serving as a platoon leader when his company, engaged in a tactical operation, abruptly contacted an enemy force concealed in protected bunkers and trenches. Three of the leading soldiers were pinned down by enemy crossfire. One was seriously wounded. After efforts of 1 platoon to rescue these men had failed, it became obvious that only a small group could successfully move close enough to destroy the enemy position and rescue or relieve the trapped soldiers, 1st Lt. Doane, although fully aware of the danger of such an action, crawled to the nearest enemy bunker and silenced it. He was wounded but continued to advance to a second enemy bunker. As he prepared to throw a grenade, he was again wounded. Undaunted, he deliberately pulled the pin on the grenade and lunged with it into the enemy bunker, destroying this final obstacle. 1st Lt. Doane's supreme act enabled his company to rescue the trapped men without further casualties. The extraordinary courage and selflessness displayed by this officer were an inspiration to his men and are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.

^ "Medal of Honor recipients – Vietnam (A-L)". United States Army Center of Military History. August 3, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-06-27. Retrieved 2009-09-21.

Citation text as reproduced in Wikipedia’s article on Stephen Helden Doane; 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.