Gary L. Littrell


Gary Lee Littrell is a retired United States Army command sergeant major who, while serving as an adviser to Army of the Republic of Vietnam's Ranger units during the Vietnam War, acted with extraordinary courage during a four-day siege on his battalion, for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor action

Between April 4 and April 8, 1970, while serving on Advisory Team 21 of I Corps Advisory Group, in Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, Sergeant First Class Littrell was a Light Weapons Infantry Advisor with the 23rd Battalion, 2nd Ranger Group. The battalion was under intense mortar attack — one advisor was killed and all except Littrell were severely wounded. Unrelentingly, over four days, Littrell kept the battalion inspired, while he directed artillery and air support, distributed ammunition, strengthened faltering defenses, cared for the wounded, and shouted encouragement to the Vietnamese in their own language. For his "sustained extraordinary courage and selflessness", he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
The Medal of Honor was presented to Littrell in a White House ceremony by President Richard Nixon on October 15, 1973.

Honors

In 1993, Littrell was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame, which serves to "honor and preserve the contributions of the most extraordinary U.S. Rangers in American history, to identify and highlight individuals as role models for current era Rangers, and to educate the public on the culture of the U.S. Army Rangers."

In later years

Littrell retired from the army in 1985 as a command sergeant major.
As of October 1987, Littrell resides in St. Pete Beach, Florida. He used to participate in the Medal of Honor Foundation's Character Development Program as a speaker. Currently, he speaks to students through his own foundation, Tribute To Valor, where he promotes the six core values of The Medal of Honor: courage, sacrifice, patriotism, citizenship, integrity, and commitment. When addressing high school students in the area, he emphasizes the significance of leading a virtuous life, highlighting that "Integrity is the most important word in the world."
In October 2024, Littrell joined 15 other Medal of Honor recipients in publicly endorsing Donald Trump for president.