Extraordinary Valor: The Fight for Charlie Hill in Vietnam

A Congressional Medal of Honor Account

Extraordinary Valor is the story of Special Forces Major John Duffy’s Medal of Honor gallantry at Firebase Charlie, and the heroism of South Vietnamese paratrooper, Major Lê Văn Mễ, who fought by his side. It is the true story of their battle to defend Charlie Hill, a key to holding Vietnam’s Central Highlands during North Vietnam’s 1972 Easter Offensive.

John Joseph Duffy was born in New York City; Le Van Mễ in a small village outside the old imperial capital of Hue in South Vietnam. Living on opposite sides of the globe, they come together in the heat of war in Southeast Asia when Major Duffy is assigned as the American advisor to the elite South Vietnamese 11th Airborne Battalion where Mễ is second in command.

The battalion receives the order to ＂Fight to the death＂ on Charlie Hill. After two weeks of intense combat, hundreds lay dead and those still standing are out of food, water, and medical supplies. Their ammunition is nearly gone. Duffy and Mễ draw on their bond of friendship and trust to make a selfless two-man last stand against the final North Vietnamese human wave assault. Both are badly wounded, Duffy multiple times. Their heroic action allows 36 members of the 471-man battalion to escape and be rescued. The rest are killed, captured, or missing in action.

This is their story.

William Reeder is a retired U.S. Army colonel, highly decorated with extensive combat experience (Silver Star for gallantry, Valorous Unit Award, two Distinguished Flying Crosses for heroism, three Purple Hearts for wounds received in combat). In Vietnam, he was an AH-1 Cobra and AH-64 Apache attack helicopter pilot. He is also a former prisoner of war (POW) in Vietnam. Reeder holds a Ph.D. in history and does training and leadership development consulting with NATO Special Operations forces. He is a frequent speaker for veterans and other military and civic organizations. He lives in Seabeck, WA.