life. thank you for being here, pat. where is pat? [applause] that s great, pat. thanks very much. i knew you would have no problem getting up. that s great. thank you, pat. early in the battle, john s commanding officer was seriously wounded. john fell to john who organized his men that led them through the fight. one of his fellow warriors that joins us today, john legatto said you followed him because he was a true leader. he was totally fearless. he loved his marines and we loved him back. where is john? stand up, john. [applause]
offensive. one of the largest enemy offenses that we ve ever seen and certainly of the vietnam war. within the first day the communist seized control of a vital american strong hold, way city. at the time of the attack, john was a gunnery sergeant with alpha company, first marine regimen. this company of 150 marines was tasked to help take back the city. on their way the enemy attacked them with machine guns, mortars, rockets and everything else they had. john s friend, pat fraley was struck by a rocket explosion and was about to be run over by a tank when john charged through enemy fire and carried him back to safety. today 50 years later, pat is here with us at the white house to honor the hero who saved his