the first american unit called to respond was that of dwight birdwell. to the approximately 100 men in c troop, they were moving to take on a full regiment of viet cong more than 1000 strong. they arrived, specialist birdwell's unit took the main ground of the attack. -- the main brunt of the attack. when his tank commander was hit and gravely wounded, specialist birdwell got him to a place of safety and then took command. he knew his vehicle was on the first line of defense, so birdwell stood in his commander's hat, half exposed, sometimes entirely out of the tank, fully exposed, laying down suppressive fire on the enemy. he used the tank's cannon, use -- he used the tank's machine gun, used a rifle, he sustained fire and drove back the attackers and created a place of relative safety for injured men behind, to take cover. he provided battlefield updates to his commander until the enemy shot the communication system right off his helmet. when he ran out of ammunition, he ran to retrieve an m-16 machine gun and ammo off the helicopter that had been downe

[applause] specialist five, dwight w birdwell. attention to orders.of america authorized by act of congress march 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of congress a medal of honor to specialist five, dwight w birdwell, united states army for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty. specialist five, dwight w birdwell, distinguished himself by act of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving with c troop third squadron fourth cavalry 25th infantry division and republic of vietnam on 31 january, 1968. on this date, c troop was ordered to move self to help repel an enemy attack on the airbase. is a c troop column of tanks and armored personnel carriers approached the west gate of townsend airbase, it became under intense enemy fire for a building at its right. unbeknownst to see true, it had driven directly into an enemy force consisting of three battalions. the call and tried to push through the initial attack with the lead tank crippled by rocket propelled grenade ex

specialist 5 dwight birdwell responded. to the 100 men in c troop, they were moving to take on the vietcong, more that than 1,000 strong. the troop engaged forces. specialist birdwell's unit took the brunt of the attack with many tanks and vehicles disabled. when his tank commander was hit and gravely wounded, specialist birdwell got him to a place of safety and then took command. he knew his vehicle was on the first line of defense, so birdwell stood in his commander's hat at times, at times standing entirely out of the tank, fully exposed, laying down suppressive fire on the enemy. he used the tank's cannon, the machine gun, his personal rival. he sustained fire, drove back attackers and created a place of relative safety for injured men behind the tank to take cover. he provided battlefield updates to the commanders until the enemy shot the communication system right off his helmet. when he ran out of ammunition, he ran to retrieve an m-60 machine gun and ammo off the helicopter that had been downed in a flight to keep f

specialist five dwight d birdwell, and major john j. duffy.nd may god protect our troops. thank you. >>> accepting on behalf of his father, john kanashiro. attention to orders. the president of the united states -- >> all right. you are watching right now the end of this medal of honor ceremony. president biden awarding the medal of honor to four army soldiers, three of whom are still alive. vietnam veterans for their heroic service during that conflict. it comes on july 5th, one day after the 4th of july, the celebration of this nation's independence, and we thank those four servicemen for the work they've done for this country. obviously here in highland park, the celebration of the 4th of july took a tragic turn. the shootings, the mass shootings in the parade that took place right on the route where i'm standing behind me. here to enjoy the parade was a friend of ours who is usually in washington, might very well have been at the white house event today, lynn sweet. lynn joins us now. lynn, you were here. you were in town for the parade. >

standing in the tank commanders half of the upper part of the body exposed enemy fire, birdwell used the .50-caliber machine, machine gun and 90 millimeters main gun to suppress enemy attack. with ammunition for the 90 millimeters main gun exhausted, he continued to fire the .50-caliber machine gun until it overheated. at this point, specialists birdwell rather than abandoning his position continuing to engage the enemy with his m-16 rifle sometimes exposing his entire body to fire in order to engage the enemy from a better vantage point. won a u.s. helicopter crash nears by, specialists birdwell under withering enemy fire dismounted and moved to the helicopter where he retrieved two and 60 machine guns and ammunition. after giving one and 60 and ammunition to a fellow soldier, he remounted his tank, and used the other and 62, again, engage the enemy. specialist birdwell continued to engage the enemy with complete disregard for his own safety until the end 60 he was firing was hit by enemy fire. specialist 5 birdwell now wounded in the face, neck, chest, and arms, dismounted the tank

birdwell from oklahoma was in a military installation near saigon when it was ambushed in 1968.n after enemy troops blew his gun out of his hands, injuring him. placing himself in danger to protect so many. and today, specialist five birdwell became the first member of the cherokee nation in nearly 40 years to earn a medal of honor. >> i was able to save people, but it also brings honor to the cherokee people. i did my duty, i served well. >> specialist five dennis m. fujii from hawaii -- a crew chief aboard a helicopter ambulance. at just 21, fujii was on his second vietnam tour when his helicopter crashed. fujii insisted his crew be evacuated before him. he wouldn't be rescued for days, receiving a hero's welcome when he got back home to hawaii. the president praising his humility. >> specialist fujii downplayed his own contributions, simply saying, quote, "i like my job. i like to help other people who need help out there." >> major john j. duffy of new york was at fire support base charlie when it came under enemy fire in 1972. he stayed behind with the wounded, arranging fo

they include specialist dwight birdwell, who took enemy fire to his face and torso but still managed to get his commander to safety and disrupt the enemy assault. he'll be the first native american awarded for service in any conflict since 1973. then there's specialist dennis fujii. he'll also be honored. he survived a crash landing in his medical helicopter but still managed to administer first aid to soldiers. and major john duffy was wounded twice during an ambush, but he refused to be evacuated until the enemy could be subdued. >> each of those awards are appreciated. they're recognizing your endeavors, your duty that you've done, and the pride you have in your uniform that you've earned in combat. so you recognize people and appreciate that, and so you're proud. >> what a way to celebrate the fourth, save my fellow servicemen. i did it twice, went into a enemy village at night, couldn't see. the only light was illumination from the enemy fire and air fire. and it just makes me feel good that i was able to save people. but it also brings honor to the cherokee people. >> staff ser

wounded, birdwell tended to the injured before seeking help himself.he first native american to ever receive the medal of honor from vietnam. >> through this award i bring respect and dignity to the cherokee people. and i'm very proud of being cherokee. i hope the cherokees are proud of me. >> reporter: pinned down by gunfire, staff sergeant edward jumped into an enemy trench alone. he was later killed in action. his son john, himself an army veteran, accepting the medal for the father he never knew. army specialist five ken ji was rescuing troops when his medevak helicopter. he spent two days treating and protecting the wounded despite being wounded. the bullets came so close his radio was shot off his back. >> we wanted to defeat them and kill them and they wanted to do the same for us. it was what we call war. that's all i did was literally went to work, did my job, made the best decisions. >> reporter: after that battle, duffy turned to poetry and was even nominated for a pulitzer prize. four soldiers, four different battles, now forever linked by

including dwight birdwell who got commander to safety. native american awarded for service in any conflict since 1973. and specialist who survived crash landing and still managed to administer first aid. and major john duffy was wounded twice and refused to evacuate until the enemy could be subdued. >> each of the awards are appreciated, recognizing your endeavors. your duty that you've done. >> what a way to celebrate the fourth, save my fellow servicemen, makes me feel good i was able to save people, and brings honor to the cherokee people. >> staff sergeant also honored, killed in vietnam in 1967. one year earlier cleared way for his platoon to withdraw in an attack. >>> lifeguard on long island sharing a frightening encounter with a shark. >> feel a sharp pain in my hand. pull my hand in, i felt something still there. >> reporter: veteran lifeguard in the middle of training exercise, pretending to be a victim in the water, when he became a real one. >> survival mode kicked in, started punching down, felt the rubber texture of the body

president recognize specialist 5th class dwight birdwell major john duffy, specialist 5th class dennis the posthumously awarded a medal of honor to staff sergeant edward can a my weather time now as we get a live look outside on this. >> tuesday, the golden gate bridge. there was little cloud cover been some really cool clouds in the sky the past couple days. yeah, aka fog. >> yeah. this the to you know those. yeah. we have some cumulus out there. so yeah, claude monet yeah, we we could use the humidity in any form. it feels like a why write about the palm trees. but yeah, looking good out there around the bay area. all that humidity in the atmosphere, of course, keeping the fire danger down. you've got some of the puffy clouds moving through right now, the golden gate bridge more that on the ways we're going to see is a lot of clouds overnight tonight is going to think again, as we will see plenty of fog, more drill temperatures today at 70 degrees a little bit above the average in san francisco. 74 in oakland, 81 degrees in san jose. 82 in livermore 80 in concord and 76 degrees in sa

. >> reporter: dwight birdwell emerged from this tank wounded but alive to fight off a vietcong attackwas ordered to load on to the medevac helicopter. this he complied, this i find amazing, only to crawl off the other side and keep on fighting. >> reporter: that's what it takes to earn the nation's highest honor. >> i didn't want to die, but i wanted to do my job. that's more important. if i didn't do this, everybody was going the perish. >> reporter: david martin, cbs news, the pentagon. >>> still ahead, wnba player brittney griner's wife speaks out behind the scenes aboutreri russian prison. >>> and an explosive california wildfire threatens several homes and buildings. >>> the u.s. says it will continue to use diplomatic channels to seek the release of basketball player brittney griner. griner sent a letter to president biden asking his help in gaining her release. griner was arrested in russia in february for allegedly possessing cannabis oil. her wife cherelle told gayle king this morning that the government's efforts behind the scenes to free griner are not working. >> i will no

birdwell and specialist five dennis m. fujii put themselves in harm's way for their units. and the son of staff sergeant edward n. kaneshiro received the award on his behalf. he was shot and killed in battle. >>> wall street traders back in action after the holiday and stocks managed to bounce back from some pretty steep early losses. the dow fell 186 points but that's a lot better than the 700 it lost earlier in the day. the nasdaq gained 194. the s&p up 6. >>> the wife of wnba star brittney griner tells cbs news she will not be quiet any more. this after the white house received a letter from griner in which she is plead being the president to get her and other detainees in russia home. reporter michael george has the latest. >> reporter: the wife of wnba star brittney griner says it breaks her heart to hear the contents of a letter the basketball player wrote to president biden. according to a representative, griner, who was represented in russia in february on charges of possessing cannabis oil, wrote in part, i'm terrified i might be here forever. >> she doesn't say wo

it's jus birdwell.shiro and john duff if and dennis fujii >>> why temperatures could be hitting the triple digits in spots. michelle is next >>> and why carlos santana was rushed off stage just like that breakfast burrito. so, can i get chorizo? uh, yeah, uh, metaphorically, yeah. carnitas! just chicken — just give me a bunch of chicken. or bacon? oh wait, there isn't too much hot sauce, is there? i have a — sensitive palate. i actually like hot sauce. can i get chips? how 'bout guacamole? i don't really know what we're talking about anymore. burritos! insurance! (chuckling) ok. for bundling made easy, go to geico.com mr. clean magic eraser: for a deep down hygienic clean. magic eraser removes the messes you can see ok. as well as more of the dirt and grime you don't. all you do is wet, squeeze, and start erasing dirt and grime all around the house. try mr. clean magic eraser: for a deep down clean. i recommend nature made vitamins because i trust their quality. they were the first to be verified by usp

. >> reporter: dwight birdwell emerged from this tank wounded but alive to fight a vietcong attack. > he emerged only to crawl back on the other side and keep fighting. >> reporter: that's what it takes to earn the nation's highest honor. >> i didn't want to die, i wanted to do my job. if i didn't do this, everybody would perish. >> reporter: david martin, cbs news, the pentagon. >> still ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news," wnba player brittney griner's wife speaks out about the behind the scenes efforts to free griner from a russian prison. and an explosive california wildfire threatens several homes and buildings. hat. it's easier to be an innovator. so you can do more incredible things. [whistling] [sfx: stomach gurgling] it's nothing... sounds like something. ♪ when you have nausea, heartburn, indigestion, ♪ ♪ upset stomach, diarrhea. ♪ pepto bismol coats and soothes for fast relief... when you need it most. a jelly bean that's good for you? try nature's bounty jelly bean vitamins. good-for-you nutrients in a tastier-for-you form. more sweet dreams. more flavorful immune suppor

the president awarded the medals to the late staff sergeant edward can shero specialist 5 dwight birdwellt 5 dennis fujii e and major john duffy. and he recounted how each of them risk their lives to save fellow service members during the vietnam war. more than 50 years ago. but time is not to manage their astonishing bravery. >> they're self the system putting the lives of others ahead of their own and the gratitude and we as a nation owes them. >> the president says the recognition is not only well deserved but also long overdue. >> we're setting the record straight. were upgrading the awards of 4 soldiers to perform acts of incredible heroism. >> president biden says congress helped make this moment happen by ordering interview of historic actions by asian americans, native americans and pacific islanders who served in the vietnam war to make sure all our country's heroes are acknowledged ensure that united states. >> lives up to our promises. through those who give their best for our country will always always give our best to you. >> president biden also took a moment to honor woody

the president awarded the medals to the late staff sergeant edward can shero specialist 5 dwight birdwellnnis. we ge and major john duffy. and he recounted how each of them risk their lives to save fellow service members during the vietnam war. more than 50 years ago. but time is not diminished. are astonishing bravery. >> they're self the system putting the lives of others ahead of their own and the gratitude and we as a that the president says the recognition is not only well deserved, but also long overdue. >> we're setting the record straight. were upgrading the awards of 4 soldiers to perform acts of incredible heroism. >> president biden says congress helped make this moment happen by ordering interview of historic actions by asian americans, native americans and pacific islanders who served in the vietnam war to make sure all our country's heroes are acknowledged ensure that united states. >> lives up to our promises. through those who give their best for our country will always always people are best to you. >> president biden also took a moment to honor woody williams, a veteran

the papers were assigned only with the mediators, namely turkey, president ridge of ty, birdwell, the un 2nd regional antonio gutierrez. the topic of the food crisis on means of a solution has been on the agenda of numerous high level meetings of late with western nations. quick to play moscow for provoking the crisis. however, russia's foreign minister things that fridays deal proofs such allegations are crimes throughout the school. for sure, it's gratifying that washington in brussels have stopped obstructing the achievement of today's agreements. the signing of the memorandum between russia in the u. n. has once again underlined the absolutely artificial nature of the west attempts to put the blame for problems with grain supplies to the world markets on russia or political and economic commentator will charge ds believes the green crisis has also been fueled by transport course. we have other problem, the other problem is def, we'll price the full price is derived in the reason up there, the other price is going up. so what do we need to fund one solution? a for this fool chris i

specialist five dwight birdwell joins us live after the break.but i never just found my way, i made it. so when i finished active therapy, i kept moving forward and did everything i could to protect myself from recurrence. verzenio is the first treatment in over 15 years to reduce the risk of recurrence for adults with hr-positive, her2-negative, node-positive, early breast cancer with a high chance of returning, as determined by your doctor when added to hormone therapy. hormone therapy works outside the cell while verzenio works inside to help stop the growth of cancer cells. diarrhea is common, may be severe, or cause dehydration or infection. at the first sign, call your doctor, start an antidiarrheal, and drink fluids. before taking verzenio, tell your doctor about any fever, chills, or other signs of infection. verzenio may cause low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infection that can lead to death. life-threatening lung inflammation can occur. tell your doctor about any new or worsening trouble breathing, cough, or chest pa

as we saw on the screen, dwight birdwell, john duffy and dennis fujii will be there to receive the medalled in a battle in vietnam. each of them are stringers to one another. they have never met before this. now after today, they will be recognized for their selfless courage and their service to their fellow soldiers, each of them saving lives and making a major difference in their respective battles. today they'll be recognized for that more than five decades after each of them served in combat. they'll always be remembered by the american people for their heroism, jose. >> this is going to happen, courtney, in just a couple minutes, right? >> that's right. 11:15 at the white house. they will all be presented, edward khan shiro left behind a widow and five children, the youngest was only four months old at the time his father was killed. he went on to a life in the military serving in the army. he'll receive his father's medal today. >> four heroes being recognized today. courtney kube, thank you so much. >>> that wraps up the hour from me. i'm jose diaz-balart. you can lulz reach me on

the president awarded the medals to the late staff sergeant edward can shero specialist 5 dwight birdwellohn duffy. and he recounted how each of them risk their lives to save fellow service members during the vietnam war. more than 50 years ago. but time is not diminished. are astonishing bravery. >> they're self the system putting the lives of others ahead of own and the gratitude and we as a that the president says the recognition is not only well deserved, but also long overdue. >> we're setting the record straight. were upgrading the awards of 4 soldiers who perform acts of incredible heroism. >> president biden says congress helped make this moment happen by ordering interview of historic actions by asian americans, native americans and pacific islanders who served in the vietnam war to make sure all our country's heroes are acknowledged ensure that united states. >> lives up to our promises. that's for those who give their best for our country will always always people are best to you. >> president biden also took a moment to honor woody williams, a veteran who died last week. he wa

she wrote specialist 5 dwight birdwell specialist 5 dennis fujii e and major john duffy and he recountedo save fellow service members during the vietnam war. more than 50 years ago. but time is not to manage their astonishing bravery. >> they're self the system putting the lives of others ahead of their own and the gratitude and we as a nation owes them. >> the president says the recognition is not only well deserved but also long overdue. >> we're setting the record straight. were upgrading the awards of 4 soldiers to perform acts of incredible heroism. >> president biden says congress helped make this moment happen by ordering interview of historic actions by asian americans, native americans and pacific islanders who served in the vietnam war to make sure all our country's heroes are acknowledged ensure that united states. >> lives up to our promises. through those who give their best for our country will always always give our best to you. >> president biden also took a moment to honor woody williams, a veteran who died last week. he was the last surviving world war, 2 medal of h >>

today's honorees include late staff sergeant edward kind of she wrote specialist 5 dwight birdwell specialistresident says the recognition is not only well deserved, but also long overdue. >> but time is not to manage their astonishing bravery. they're self the system, putting the lives of others ahead of own and the gratitude and we as a nation owes them. >> president biden says congress helped make this moment possible day ordered a review of historic actions by asian american native american and pacific islanders who served in the vietnam war to make sure all our country's heroes are acknowledged. it's time now to check in with newsnation and see what they're working on for tonight. a 4th of july celebration turns deadly for live in highland park, illinois. what we've uncovered behind the alleged shooter's house and why a former classmate says he was always in trouble. tonight on news nation, prime. here's ashley. thanks. tonight on banfield, kaitlin, armstrong, before and after plastic surgery and being captured in costa rica. but how much further did she go to evade the police? >> plus,

birdwell specialist. five, dennis and fuji and major john j. duffy. the resident said.en stood in the way of danger to defend our nation and our values. just astounding when you hear what each of them have done. they weren't far above and beyond the call of duty. it's a phrase always used, but it's it just takes on life when you see these men, sergeant edward and kind of shiro was awarded his award. posthumously. british prime minister boris johnson could soon be out of a job following the resignation of two of britain's most senior cabinet ministers. the two ministers said they had lost confidence in johnson's leadership amid shifting explanations. about his handling of a sexual misconduct scandal. it's the latest roadblock for johnson, who narrowly survived a vote of no confidence last month. that vote was due to a scandal surrounding changing explanations about parties and government offices during the covid lockdown. the national vet shortage being felt right here in the bay area. how one clinic is filling shifts a live interview coming up. and a barrier weather. it

the president awarded the medals to the late staff sergeant edward can shero specialist 5 dwight birdwell specialist 5 dennis fujii e and major john duffy. and he recounted how each of them risk their lives to save fellow service members during the vietnam war. more than 50 years ago. but time is not to manage their astonishing bravery. >> they're self the system putting the lives of others ahead of their own and the gratitude and we as a that the president says the recognition is not only well deserved, but also long overdue. >> we're setting the record straight. were upgrading the awards of 4 soldiers to perform acts of incredible heroism. >> president biden says congress helped make this moment happen by ordering interview of historic actions by asian americans, native americans and pacific islanders who served in the vietnam war to make sure all our country's heroes are acknowledged ensure that united states. >> lives up to our promises. through those who give their best for our country will always always give our best to you. >> president biden also took a moment to honor woody willi

birdwell. specialist five dennis m. fuji and major john j. duffy the president said the men stood in the way of danger to defend our nation and our values. just astounding when you hear what each of them have done. they weren't far above and beyond the call of duty. it's a phrase always used, but it's it just takes on life when you see these men staff sergeant edward and canada. shiro was also awarded a posthumous medal. he was killed in action in vietnam in 1967. the governor of ukraine's donetsk province is urging more than a quarter million residents to evacuate as russians advance . this comes as wnba's star britney griner remains in prison in russia in and out to president biden. she asked him to help her and other americans detained overseas to return home. lauren blanchard is in washington with this story. while americans celebrate their freedom detained american w n b a star britney griner sent a handwritten note to president biden asking for help to get out of a russian prison. her family shared some of what she wrote quote. terrifie

five dwight birdwell.cialist by dennis fuji and major john duffy , the president said these men stood in the way of danger to defend our nation and our values. just astounding when you hear what each of them have done. they weren't far above and beyond the call of duty. it's a phrase always used, but it's it just takes on life when you see these men, sergeant edward can assure a was awarded his award posthumously. airports all across the country reported a return to pre pandemic number, says travelers trying to make the most of the holiday weekend. bay area airports have largely been spared from many of the issues that are plaguing airports across the country. fox's charles watson tells us some airlines are still recovering today. i've never seen anything like it. and when i've been traveling for a while, not everyone got the fourth of july experience they wanted thousands of travelers were dealing with flight mirrors over the holiday weekend with more than 20,000 flights to lead in the us and almost 2000

the president awarded the medals to the late staff sergeant edward can specialist 5 dwight birdwell specialistennis. we ge and major john duffy. and he recounted how each of them risk their lives to save fellow service members during the vietnam war. more than 50 years ago. but time is not to manage their astonishing bravery. >> they're self the system putting the lives of others ahead of their own and the gratitude and we as a that the president says the recognition is not only well deserved, but also long overdue. >> we're setting the record straight. were upgrading the awards of 4 soldiers to perform acts of incredible heroism. >> president biden says congress helped make this moment happen by ordering interview of historic actions by asian americans, native americans and pacific islanders who served in the vietnam war to make sure all our country's heroes are acknowledged ensure that united states. >> lives up to our promises. through those who give their best for our country will always always give our best to you. >> president biden also took a moment to honor woody williams, a veteran w

he presented the awards to specialist five dwight birdwell , specialist five dennis fuji and major johnpresident said. these men stood in the way of danger to defend our nation and our values. just astounding when you hear what each of them have done. they weren't far above and beyond the call of duty. it's a phrase always used, but it's it just takes on life when you see these men, sergeant edward kinda. shiro was awarded his award posthumously. members of nato have taken another step to approve the addition of sweden and finland to the alliance, the 30 ambassadors and permanent representatives all signed off on the protocols needed for those countries to become members and last week's nato summit, the alliance made the decision to invite sweden and finland to join. the membership is of those two countries. now go to the legislatures of the individual countries for approval. turkey's leader has said his country's parliament could block the process if sweden and finland failed to meet turkey's demand to extradite terror suspects with links to outlawed kurdish groups. now to the latest i

among them, specialist fifth class dwight birdwell of oklahoma, a proud citizen of the cherokee nation the start of the tet offensive in 1968 after his own machine gun exploded from enemy fire, he refused to evacuate, staying behind to fend off the enemy with hand grenades. he is the first native american of the cherokee nation to receive the medal of honor from the vietnam era. >> i am certainly proud to be an american citizen and i'm very, very proud to be cherokee. so i grew up in the woods so to speak, always empathize, listen to the sounds around you, listen to the sounds of the birds and the squirrels, even the cattle, they will tell you when something is going on. >> major john duffy of the fifth special forces group served four tours in vietnam and in 1972, braved enemy fire to treat vietnamese soldiers and coordinate air strikes. >> one of his vietnamese -- was causing him to fall backwards out of the helicopter. major duffy caught him and dragged him back in on board. saving one more life along the way. >> major duffy received 29 decorations for valor, four bronze stars and a

among those, specialist for all classed white birdwell, proud citizen of the jerky nation who led hisded from and b fire, bird well refuse to evacuate staying behind to fend off the enemy with hand grenades. birdwell is the first native american of the cherokee foundation to receive the medal of honor from the vietnam era. >> proud to be an american person, proud to be cherokee. i grew up in the woods so to speak and the man who raised me always emphasize listen to the sounds around you. listen to the sounds of the birds, the squirrels, even the cattle. they will tell you when something is going on. >> reporter: major john duffy of the fifth special forces group served four tours in vietnam and in 1972 braved enemy fire to treat vietnamese soldiers and scored made airstrikes. a pulitzer nominee, he is now an author and a poet. >> they tried to evacuate me twice and i refused because you had to have an american on-site to close american air assets. without american air assets, would have overrun charlie within hours. >> reporter: sergeant edward kinsharo will receive the award posthumo

. >> reporter: this is what dwight birdwell's tank looked like at the on the other hand of a battle againston top of the tank with my m-16 rifle to fire at the enemy. >> reporter: best way to get yourself killed. >> i didn't want to die, but i wanted to do my job, and that was more important. if i didn't do it, everybody was going to perish. >> when he was ordered to load on to the medevac helicopter, he complied -- this i find amazing -- only to crawl right back off the other side and to keep on fighting. >> reporter: president biden awarded the medal of honor to four vietnam veterans whose valor was not properly recognized at the time. >> today we're setting the record straight. it's just astounding when you hear each of them have done. >> reporter: dennis fujii went into laos to rescue south vietnamese troops pinned down by the enemy. he summed up his valor with one of the great understatements of the war. >> "i like my job. i like to help other people who need help out there." >> reporter: edward kaneshiro was killed in vietnam. his daughter naomi remembers when her mother got the news.

. >> among them, specialist fifth class dwight birdwell of oklahoma, proud citizen of the cherokee nationd his unit through a bloody ambush at the start of the tet offensive in 1968. after his machine gun exploded, he refused to evacuate, staying behind to fend off the enemy with hand grenades. he is the first native american from the cherokee nation to receive the medal of honor during the vietnam era. >> i'm proud to be an american citizen and grew up in the woods, so to speak, and the man emphasized listen to the sounds around you, listen to the sounds of the birds, the squirrels, even the cattle, they will tell you when something is going on. >> major john duffy of the fifth special force group served four tours in vietnam and 1972, braved enemy fire to coordinate airstrikes. >> one of the vietnamese allies was shot in the foot, causing him to fall backwards out of the helicopter. major duffy caught him and dragged him back in on board. saving one more life. >> he is also an author and poet. >> tried to medically evacuate me twice, i refuse, you had to have an american on-site for ame

. >> dwight birdwell helped drive back about a thousand enemy troops after being wounded himself and fighting and then after the vietnam conflict serves 12 years on the cherokee nation supreme court. >> and fujii, he's chopper was down in the middle of a fiert and he waved off other rescue helicopters and stayed to tend to other soldiers for two days. >> and john duffy risked his life becoming the last person to evacuate and saved one last soldier he became a pulitzer nominated author biden called him the definition of a warrior and poet. >> none of them consider themselves heros none of them all of them say the same thing awe i wasn't a hero. -- >> -- their service absolutely still ahead on "popstart," cue the music. first look at the brand new neil diamond musical. well tell you who is playing the music man. vicki is going to show us how to pull up an a family adventure. (vo) we made a promise to our boy blue- that we would make the healthiet foods possible... with the finest natural ingredients and real meat first. and that's our promise to you and your dog or cat. because when yo

specialist dwight birdwell, major john duffy and dennis will receive the government's highest militaryrgt edward on the bottom right of your screen is receiving the medal pass thiewm mustily after making the ultimate sack nice vietnam. guy whos, are those your head will lines back to you. >> rachel: thank you, ashley. >> coming up, local officials near the border are ready to act to stop the surge of migrants. rye tired ice director tom homan is going to share an exclusive announcement next. stay with us. i've got moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months, after just 2 doses. skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or coughs, or if you plan to, or recently received a vaccine. ♪ nothing is everything ♪ talk to your dermatologist about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. researchers beli

for the late step sergeant, w birdwell.wo major john duffy, i am proud to finally award our highest military recognition and the medal of honor to each of you. it has been a long journey to this day for those heroes and their families. for more than 50 years have passed, 50 years since the gentleman in vietnam, the soldiers first proved their medal. time has not diminished their bravery and selflessness of putting themselves in front of their on. >> "washington journal" continues. host: if you want to participate, here is how you can do so. you can call us on the line, (202) 748-8000 democrats. (202) 748-8001, republicans. (202) 748-8002, independence. if you want to text as, you can do so at, (202) 748-8003. there are other ways you can participate in our conversation on social media. we have a facebook page you can post on as well as twitter. you just heard from president biden yesterday reporting today he is going to cleveland, ohio. this is from the local news station there. president biden once again coming to clevelan