Character Education: Interview with Medal of Honor Recipient Patrick Brady (Vietnam)

Hosted by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation
Sponsored by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation

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If you view the recording and would like a CE certificate, join the The Medal of Honor Character Development Program community and go to the CE Quizzes link in the Community Toolbox.

Plan for your class to watch the on-demand recording with Medal of Honor Recipient Patrick Brady. Major Brady was awarded the Medal of Honor for a series of rescues performed while serving in Vietnam which began at sunrise and ended after dark. Repeatedly he was warned by competent advisors that the missions were impossible due to weather, the enemy situation, and mines. On three different missions and six tasks Major Brady extracted patients from areas where other aircraft failed. On two different occasions his aircraft was hit by automatic weapons’ fire. On a third occasion his aircraft was severely damaged by a mine. During that day Major Brady evacuated over 70 patients many who would have died without expeditious medical care.

This edWebinar, presented by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, is an inspiring learning opportunity for middle and high school students to connect directly with an American hero. Interviews with Medal of Honor Recipients are part of the Medal of Honor Character Development Program, a free program that helps students build character and promotes responsible citizenship through a deeper understanding of stories of courage and sacrifice. Before the edWebinar, we encourage teachers to review Brady’s story with their class.

Student viewers must view the program with their teacher. You can use the link to the recording above if you would like to show it to your class at another time.

Medal of Honor Recipient Patrick Brady Citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, Maj. Brady distinguished himself while serving in the Republic of Vietnam commanding a UH-1H ambulance helicopter, where he volunteered to rescue wounded men from a site in enemy held territory which was reported to be heavily defended and to be blanketed by fog. To reach the site he descended through heavy fog and smoke and hovered slowly along a valley trail, turning his ship sideward to blow away the fog with the backwash from his rotor blades.

Despite the unchallenged, close-range enemy fire, he found the dangerously small site, where he successfully landed and evacuated 2 badly wounded South Vietnamese soldiers. He was then called to another area completely covered by dense fog where American casualties lay only 50 meters from the enemy. Two aircraft had previously been shot down and others had made unsuccessful attempts to reach this site earlier in the day. With unmatched skill and extraordinary courage, Maj. Brady made 4 flights to this embattled landing zone and successfully rescued all the wounded. On his third mission of the day Maj. Brady once again landed at a site surrounded by the enemy. The friendly ground force, pinned down by enemy fire, had been unable to reach and secure the landing zone.

Although his aircraft had been badly damaged and his controls partially shot away during his initial entry into this area, he returned minutes later and rescued the remaining injured. Shortly thereafter, obtaining a replacement aircraft, Maj. Brady was requested to land in an enemy minefield where a platoon of American soldiers was trapped. A mine detonated near his helicopter, wounding two crewmembers and damaging his ship. In spite of this, he managed to fly six severely injured patients to medical aid. Throughout that day Maj. Brady utilized three helicopters to evacuate a total of 51 seriously wounded men, many of whom would have perished without prompt medical treatment. Maj. Brady’s bravery was in the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.

Host and Interviewer

Cathy Ehlers Metcalf joined the Medal of Honor Character Development Program as Vice President of Education in 2015 after serving as a Regional Curriculum Trainer. Cathy taught college-level writing for over 33 years in Southern California. Cathy’s father was a World War II Medal of Honor Recipient. Those experiences gave Cathy a great respect for both the Medal of Honor and a passion for service to our Nation’s Veterans.

Join The Medal of Honor Character Development Program community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, view past edWebinars, take a quiz to receive a CE certificate for a past edWebinar, and access free resources.

The Medal of Honor Character Development Program is a free resource that teaches character through stories of the Medal of Honor recipients. The CDP is a cross-curriculum supplement and complies with National/State Common Core standards. The Medal of Honor Character Development Program incorporates the ideals of courage and selfless service into the middle and high school curriculum to build character and promote responsible citizenship.  The program is FREE and includes 50+ lesson plans supported by over 100 video vignettes of the Medal of Honor Recipients themselves, as well as videos of hometown heroes selected by the Medal of Honor Recipients as “Citizen Heroes.”

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If you would like a CE certificate for this presentation, watch the edWebinar recording and take the CE quiz.

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