Watch Live: Biden awards Medal of Honor to Vietnam War pilot Larry Taylor
CBS News President Biden is awarding the Medal of Honor to 81-year-old retired Captain Larry L. Taylor, a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War who flew hundreds of missions and risked his life to save his countrymen.
Taylor was a first lieutenant on June 18, 1968, when he deployed in support of a patrol that had been surrounded by an enemy force. Braving intense fire, Taylor and his wingman made low-level attack runs. As they neared the end of their ammunition, Taylor learned that a plan to rescue the patrol had been canceled. So, Taylor decided to extract the team using his two-man Cobra helicopter — something the White House says had never been attempted, let alone accomplished.
Taylor had his wingman fire his remaining mini-gun runs and return to basecamp. Then, Taylor fired his own remaining mini-gun rounds, using his landing lights to draw enemy attention while the soldiers headed to an extraction point.
