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Issue 1561 November 25, 2012
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"DOC" FINALLY GETS MEDAL: After 48 Years, Vietnam Heroism Recognized

Jim McCloughan Hosted by Dr. Tim Eckstein of Bay Veterans Foundation.

January 26, 2018       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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Spec. 5 Jim McCloughan, right, in Bay City with patron Dr. Tim Eckstein of the Bay Veterans Foundation.
 
Jim McCloughan receives the Medal of Honor from President Donald Trump.

It took nearly half a century but "Doc" Jim McCloughan of South Haven, Michigan, finally got credit for heroism in Vietnam.

He spoke to nearly 500 students and staff at Swan Valley Middle School last Tuesday and, along with his wife, Cherie, was hosted by Dr. Tim Eckstein of the Bay Veterans Foundation for dinner in Bay City that night.

McCloughan grew up on a farm, went to a one-room country school and was graduated in 1964 from Bangor (MI) High School where he was a three-sport star in football, wrestling, and baseball. He earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology and a teaching certificate from Olivet College. After his service, he was a teacher and coach in South Haven for four decades.

What heroism? All "Doc" did was to drag 10 wounded soldiers from the battlefield on two bloody days in 1969, saving their lives while suffering several wounds himself.

Zig-zagging across the field of fire, hauling men to safety and treating them to save their lives is an intrepid action worthy of Hollywood. While the 19-year-old outstanding high school athlete was going above and beyond, he had help from the Almighty, of course, and covering fire from M-60 machine gunner Joseph Middendorf.

Both McCloughan and Middendorf had declined to climb aboard a helicopter waiting to evacuate them, but neither was willing to abandon comrades and save their own lives.

"Joe stayed because I needed him and I stayed because I knew my men needed me. For a long time, I didn't talk about it; I was just proud to be one of a group of people who were asked to something and did it," he said at a modest reception at American Legion Post 18.

The rest of the story is why it took so long for him to get his award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Without the persistence of one officer, his platoon leader Lt. Randall Clark, of Maine, "Doc's" heroism might have gone unrecognized. Lt. Clark just kept after officialdom for decades until the toxic cloud of public opinion about Vietnam lifted. "You were not welcomed home; let's make sure this never happens again," said retired Col. Larry Brom, a veterans group leader.

But it took the work of officials from former Sen. Carl Levin, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, among others, to finally slash through the red tape so President Donald Trump could drape the blue ribbon of the MOH around McCloughan on July 31, 2017.

McCloughan would later say, "I'd rather die on the battlefield than know that men died because they did not have a medic," Trump-related.

The official Army citation: "Spc. 5 James C. McCloughan distinguished himself during 48 hours of close-combat fighting against enemy forces, May 13-15, 1969. At the time, then-Pfc. McCloughan was serving as a combat medic with Company C, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, in the Republic of Vietnam.

"On the morning of May 13, 1969, 'Charlie Company' was combat assaulted into an area near Tam Ky and Nui Yon Hill and came under small arms and machine gun fire. During the combat assault, two American helicopters were shot down, one of which had crashed roughly 100 meters from the company's position. With fierce enemy gunfire surrounding the position, a rescue helicopter could not land. Instead, a squad was sent out and ordered to bring the pilot and crew back to Charlie Company's defense perimeter.

"When the squad reached the perimeter around the crash site, they saw a wounded Soldier lying on the ground nearby, too injured to move. McCloughan ran 100 meters to the soldier through an open field, ducking and dodging the crossfire of his company and a charging platoon of North Vietnamese Army. Upon reaching the wounded soldier, McCloughan shouldered him and raced back to the company, saving his fellow Soldier from being captured or killed.

"I weaved and sprinted through the fire and slid in next to him like I was sliding into second base," McCloughan recalled about the 'hot' landing zone and tending to the wounded.

Later that afternoon, 2nd Platoon was ordered to scout the area near Nui Yon Hill. The platoon was ambushed by a large NVA force and sustained heavy casualties. McCloughan entered a trench as American airstrikes were being dropped on the nearby NVA targets. Looking over the top of his trench, McCloughan saw two soldiers without weapons, huddled near a bush.

"With complete disregard for his life and personal safety, McCloughan handed his weapon to a fellow warrior, leaped on the berm of the trench and ran low to the ground toward the ambush and the two U.S. soldiers. While McCloughan was looking for wounds on the men, a rocket-propelled grenade exploded and pelted him with shrapnel. He pulled the two soldiers back into the safety of a trench. McCloughan ignored a direct order to stay back and braved an enemy assault, moving into the kill zone on four more occasions to extract wounded comrades.

"Bleeding extensively, McCloughan treated the wounded and prepared their evacuation to safety. Although the Americans were heavily outnumbered by NVA forces, he refused to evacuate and remained at the battle site with his fellow soldiers, knowing they would need a medic.

"On May 14, 1st Platoon was ordered to move out toward Nui Yon Hill. The Platoon advanced to the initial trench line and was approaching the second trench when they saw the enemy moving in the grass ahead of them. The Americans fired on the NVA while an airstrike was called on the enemy's position. The platoon then received orders to continue forward, but they were ambushed. The medic from 1st Platoon was killed, leaving McCloughan as the sole medical specialist in the company. In the intense battle, McCloughan was wounded a second time by small arms fire and shrapnel from an RPG while rendering aid to two soldiers in an open rice paddy.

"In the final phases of the attack, two companies from the NVA and an element of 700 soldiers from a Viet Cong regiment descended upon Company C's position on three sides. McCloughan, again with complete disregard for his life, went into the crossfire numerous times throughout the battle to extract wounded soldiers, while also fighting the enemy. His relentless, courageous action inspired and motivated his comrades to fight for their survival. When supplies ran low, McCloughan volunteered to hold a blinking light in an open area as a marker for a nighttime resupply drop. He remained steadfast while bullets landed all around him and RPGs flew over his exposed body.

"The second day we lose the only other medic that we got -- now I'm the only medic." James McCloughan recalls the ambush.

"During the morning darkness of May 15, McCloughan knocked out the RPG position with a grenade. He continued to fight and eliminate enemy soldiers. In addition, he treated numerous casualties, kept two critically wounded soldiers alive during the night and organized the dead and wounded for evacuation at daylight. McCloughan is credited with saving the lives of ten members of his company."

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Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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