Dwight Wayne Birdwell
MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT
Guest of Honor
and Speaker
Memorial Day
Service: United States Army
Birthday: January 19, 1948 in Amarillo and raised in Borger until he was 3, when the family moved to Oklahoma where they had family roots.
Place of Birth: Amarillo, Potter County, Texas
Home of Record: Bell, Adair County, Oklahoma
Location of Action: Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Vietnam
This year’s Memorial Day Ceremony will be on Monday, May 27, beginning at 11:30, at the Texas Panhandle War Memorial, 4111 S. Georgia St. It is a very special Memorial Day as our Guest of Honor and main speaker will be Dwight Birdwell, Medal of Honor recipient, who was born in Amarillo and raised in Borger until the family moved to Oklahoma when he was 3.
The Medal of Honor award was started during the Civil War when, in 1861, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the awarding of the Medal of Honor to “such non-commissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier like qualities.” In 1863, the medal would become a permanent military decoration for all members of the military.
It reads, “Whereas the Medal of Honor is the highest distinction that can be awarded by the president, in the name of the congress, to members of the armed forces who have distinguished themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of their lives above and beyond the call of duty.
Also attending will be Congressman Ronny Jackson. He will say a few words prior to our honored guest. Additionally, the Daughters of the American Revolution will have a dedication and unveiling ceremony for the America 250 Patriots Marker.
You are invited to visit the Texas Panhandle War Memorial Center to see the display of Medal of Honor recipients from the Texas Panhandle to include the following: William “Billy” Dixon, plus 5 others from the Battle of Buffalo Wallow, Hemphill County in the Texas Panhandle; Charles H. Roan, WWII from Claude, Texas and name sake of the Ussery Roan Texas State Veterans Home in Amarillo; John C. “Red” Morgan, WWII, attended Amarillo College and West Texas State College, the movie ’12 O’clock High’ was made from his story; Thomas E. Creek, Vietnam, name sake of the Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center in Amarillo and now Dwight Birdwell, Vietnam, Amarillo and Borger native.
Come and visit our museum of military artifacts, displays, and photographs from WWI to Afghanistan. See our Medal of Honor exhibit highlighting 33 Soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic action in the Panhandle, or lived here. The War Memorial has the only Military Chapel in the Panhandle, available for weddings and funerals. Our high-tech Education Center features five interactive computer kiosks, each with information on 11 U. S. wars. We also have oral histories of the Vietnam War and World War II. Visit our gift shop for military tee shirts, ball caps, and military memorabilia.
We invite you to visit our museum Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Our telephone number is 806-350-8387. Follow us on Facebook and visit our website www.TexasPanhandleWarMemorial.com
MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3rd, 1863, has awarded, in the name of Congress, the Medal of Honor to Specialist Five Dwight Wayne Birdwell, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call for duty. Specialist Five Dwight W. Birdwell distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving with C Troop, 3d Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division in the Republic of Vietnam on 31 January, 1968. On this date, C Troop was ordered to move south to help repel an enemy attack on Tan Son Nhut Airbase. As the C Troop column of tanks and armored personnel carriers approached the west gate of Tan Son Nhut Airbase, it came under intense enemy fire from a building to its right. Unbeknown to C Troop, it had driven directly into an enemy force consisting of three battalions. The column tried to push through the initial attack but the lead tank, crippled by a rocket-propelled grenade explosion, was blocking the way forward. C Troop immediately came under heavy enemy fire from both sides of the road. Specialist Five Birdwell, upon seeing that his tank commander was wounded by enemy fire, immediately went to his aid. Under intense enemy fire, he lowered the injured tank commander to the ground, and moved him to safety. Specialist Five Birdwell then, with complete disregard for his own safety, mounted the tank and assumed the tank commander’s position. Standing in the tank commander’s hatch with the upper half of his body exposed to heavy enemy fire, Specialist Five Birdwell used the tank’s .50 caliber machine gun and 90mm main gun to suppress the enemy attack. With the ammunition for the 90mm main gun exhausted, he continued to fire the .50 caliber machine gun until it overheated. At this point, Specialist Five Birdwell, rather than abandoning his position, continued to engage the enemy with his M-16 rifle, sometimes exposing his entire body to enemy fire in order to engage the enemy from a better vantage point. When a U.S. helicopter crashed nearby, Specialist Five Birdwell, under withering enemy fire, dismounted and moved to the helicopter where he retrieved two M-60 machine guns and ammunition. After giving one M-60 and ammunition to a fellow soldier, he remounted his tank and used the other M-60 to again engage the enemy. Specialist Five Birdwell continued to engage the enemy with complete disregard for his own safety until the M-60 he was firing was hit by enemy fire. Specialist Five Birdwell, now wounded in the face, neck, chest, and arms, dismounted the tank but refused to be medically evacuated. Instead, Specialist Five Birdwell, under enemy fire, rallied fellow soldiers to advance toward the front of the armored column where they set up a defensive position by a large tree. From this position, he and the other soldiers engaged the enemy with M-16 fire and grenades. As the enemy fire lessened, Specialist Five Birdwell gathered ammunition from disabled vehicles and helped wounded soldiers move to safer positions. His leadership and tenacity under fire inspired the other C Troop soldiers to continue fighting against the superior enemy force, and directly contributed to the enemy’s ultimate defeat. Specialist Five Birdwell’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Additionally, on Sunday May 26 at 4 pm we will have the unveiling of the exhibit for Dwight Birdwell, to add him to our Wall of Honor. Media is welcome to this event and it is by invitation only. Thank you for what you all do.
Tim
Tim Reid
Executive Director
Texas Panhandle War Memorial
4111 S. Georgia
Amarillo, TX 79110
806-350-8387
The mission of the Texas Panhandle War Memorial is to “Honor, commemorate and memorialize the service and sacrifice of Veterans through education and public events.”
To Remember Every War, To Remember Every Service Member, To Remember is to Honor