President Donald Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to Army Captain Gary “Mike” Rose on Monday afternoon, recounting the harrowing story of a deployment in Vietnam.
Rose spent four days on a mission serving as a medic with the 5th Special Forces Group in 1970, tending to 60 to 70 men despite suffering a shrapnel wound of his own.
“As Mike puts it, ‘If you don’t believe in God then you should have been with us that day, and I can tell you it will make a believer out of you because we should not ever have survived,’” Trump recounted.
The president paused while recounting Rose’s story, recalling that his rescue helicopter crashed after it was hit by enemy fire during the attacks.
“Mike, this is is serious stuff, this is not a good four days,” Trump said as many in the room laughed.
Several of Rose’s company who served with him that day joined the ceremony, as well as many members of the United States military.
“Nations are formed out of the strength and patriotism that lives in the hearts of our great heroes,” Trump said, before bestowing the medal.