A Patriot's Gift

First Lieut. Charles Williams, 32, clutched his green beret until his knuckles whitened as he stood tautly at Lyndon Johnson's side. Nearby stood his wife, Anita; three sons, Daniel, 12, Terence, 9, and James, 7; and his daughter, Shannon, 2 1/2, who from time to time glanced down with obvious pride at her fluffy blue dress and party shoes.

"We have come here," President Johnson told the dignitaries assembled in the East Room, "to honor a very brave American soldier. The acts of extraordinary courage to which we pay tribute were not performed in hope of reward. They began with a soldier doing his duty--but went so far beyond the call of duty that they became a patriot's gift to this country."

The President then described Williams' 14 hours of heroism during the bloody battle of Dongxoai (TIME, June 18, 1965), in which the Special Forces officer repeatedly faced enemy fire to rally a score of beleaguered Americans; he was wounded five times. "Few men," the President added, "understand what it means to draw deep from the wellsprings of such bravery. Few have ever made that kind of journey, and far fewer have returned."

One of the few is a fellow South Carolinian, Brigadier General John F. T. Kennedy, 80, who had received the Medal of Honor for action against Philippine guerrillas in 1909, and stood proudly by last week as Johnson hung the nation's highest emblem of heroism --only the fourth awarded for action in Viet Nam--around Lieut. Williams' neck. "This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and the greatest thing that ever will happen," said Williams. He recalled that one Commander-in-Chief--it was Truman--had said he would rather have the Medal of Honor than be President, adding simply: "These are my sentiments."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.