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Don't let the short history of the United States Air Force fool you. From Tech Sgt. John Chapman to Staff Sergeant William Pitsenbarger bravery knows no limits. William Pitsenbarger was a pararescueman. What exactly is a pararescueman? Well, without getting into too much detail, we'll give you the Marine Corps version/our understanding of what a pararescueman is. He's like a super high-speed special operator that specializes in making sure you don't bleed out and get's you out of harm's way. We think that's accurate enough. Moving on.Vietnam was a violent shithole at the time. Thick, mountainous jungle landscapes coupled with unbearably hot and humid weather, and then there were Commies trying to kill you. Mark our words the United States government, for whatever reason never seems to want to go to war with a nice place. Why can't we ever go anywhere nice? Anyways...A group of soldiers had been ambushed to the east of Saigon. There were heavy casualties, so Pitsenbarger and the men of the 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron went into action. Pitsenbarger was lowered to the ground and started patching up bullet wounds and evacuating the wounded.
After several men had been evacuated and cared for, the helicopters returned to grab more wounded. The helicopter was hit by enemy fire and had to get the hell outta Dodge quick fast in a hurry. His brethren in the helo, lowered the rescue basket to bring him back. He waved it off. William Pitsenbarger willfully refused to save his own life and volunteered to stay with the wounded, treating them as long as he could.Throughout the day and night, William Pitsenbarger continued to triage and treat the wounded, distribute ammunition and even join in the fight himself. As a force multiplier, he had made himself a target of a nearby sniper. The round from that sniper's rifle ultimately ended the life of the hero, Staff Sergeant William Pitsenbarger.He died with rifle and medkit in hand. Out of every hundred men, ninety shouldn't be there, nine are the real fighters, ah but one he is the warrior... William was the warrior. Nine men made it out because of his actions.For his actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor and promoted to Staff Sergeant posthumously.Read more stories of American Grit:
