President Obama said the story of retired Army Lt. Col. Charles Kettles’ heroism during the Vietnam War is an example for the country to follow, especially amid the current turmoil and violence.
“This story is quintessentially American — looking out for each other, the belief nobody should be left behind,” Obama said Monday during Kettles’ Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House. “This shouldn’t just be a creed for our soldiers. This should be a creed for all of us,” Obama said of the military’s motto of leaving no man behind.
“This is a country that’s never finished in its mission to improve, to do better, to learn from our history, to work to form a more perfect union,” Obama said.
Kettles, 86, of Ypsilanti, Michigan, received the country’s highest award for battlefield valor for repeatedly leading a fleet of helicopters into a battle zone to retrieve wounded soldiers and ultimately returning alone to evacuate the last eight men from the field and returning them safely in a damaged helicopter.
Given the recent murders of police and shootings by police that are creating so much uncertainty, it’s an opportune time to remember “the goodness and decency of the American people,” Obama said. The “way that we can all look out for each other, even when times are tough, even when the odds are against us. What a wonderful inspiration. What a great gift for us to be able to celebrate something like this.”
