In 1965, during the Vietnam War, U.S. Army soldier Milton Olive III threw himself onto a live grenade and smothered the blast with his body to save a group of fellow soldiers. He died from his injuries and received the Medal of Honor posthumously, becoming the first African American of the Vietnam War to be awarded the medal. In all, 56 United States Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients earned the award for jumping on grenades or mines to save their comrades, and Olive’s sacrifice is one of those acts.
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