'I Like Brave People': Trump Bestows Medal of Honor on Vietnam Hero
President Donald Trump presented Marine Sgt. Maj. John L. Canley with the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony Wednesday afternoon.
The president spoke about how Canley repeatedly risked his life to rescue fellow Marines during the Vietnam War.
"On several occasions, despite his own wounds, he rushed across the fire-swept terrain to carry wounded Marines to safety," President Trump said.
"I like brave people, and you meet them right here," Trump said.
The 80-year-old veteran from Oxnard, California, was awarded the Navy Cross, two Bronze Stars, and the Purple Heart a decade before he retired in 1981.
Canley is the 300th Marine to receive the Medal of Honor, usually bestowed within five years of the recipient's brave act.
In this case, it comes 50 years after the Battle of Hue in 1968 during the Vietnam War.
Pentagon officials told CBN News, after Canley's captain was wounded in the fighting, then-Gunnery Sgt. Canley took command of his company to fend off multiple enemy attacks.
The battle of Hue, which lasted for seven straight days, was one of the bloodiest of the war.
Sgt. Maj. Canley receives the Medal of Honor
Sgt. Maj. Canley Visits Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall