After a North Vietnamese mortar shells rocks their Douglas AC-47 gunship, Airman First Class John L. Levitow throws himself on an activated, smoking magnesium flare, drags himself and the flare to the open cargo door, and tosses it out of the aircraft just before it ignites. For saving his fellow crewmembers and the gunship, Airman Levitow was later awarded the Medal of Honor. He was one of only two enlisted airmen to win the Medal of Honor for service in Vietnam and was one of only five enlisted airmen ever to win the medal.
Also on This Day
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- Sports
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Feb 24, 1969:
Airman wins Medal of Honor for action on this day
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This Week in History, Feb 24 - Mar 2
- Feb 24, 1968
- Hue recaptured
- Feb 24, 1969
- Airman wins Medal of Honor for action on this day
- Feb 25, 1971
- Congress moves to block widening of the war
- Feb 25, 1972
- U.S. troops fight biggest battle in nearly a year
- Feb 26, 1965
- First South Korean troops arrive
- Feb 26, 1968
- Mass graves discovered in Hue
- Feb 27, 1962
- Diem survives coup attempt
- Feb 27, 1965
- United States assails North Vietnamese "aggression"
- Feb 27, 1969
- Communist offensive continues
- Feb 28, 1968
- Wheeler says Westmoreland will need more troops
- Mar 01, 1965
- U.S. informs South Vietnam of intent to send Marines
- Mar 01, 1968
- Clifford replaces McNamara
- Mar 01, 1971
- Bomb explodes in Capitol building
- Mar 02, 1965
- First Rolling Thunder raid conducted
- Mar 02, 1967
- Kennedy proposes plan to end the war
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