Vietnam War veteran and former roofing contractor Larry L. Taylor has been given the highest military decoration for his heroic actions during the war that saved the lives of his fellow soldiers.
On Tuesday, Taylor, a retired Army helicopter pilot, received the medal at the White House from President Joe Biden for flying into certain danger to save the lives of four members of a reconnaissance team. Then-1st Lt. Taylor served as one of the first Cobra helicopter pilots during the Vietnam War. On June 18, 1968, a four-man reconnaissance patrol team was surveilling a village occupied by approximately 80 North Vietnamese. A firefight ensued, and the soldiers quickly realized they were surrounded, which is when they radioed for air support.