![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/73\/Harold_A._Fritz_portrait.jpg\/960px-Harold_A._Fritz_portrait.jpg\")
\nLTC, U.S. Army \u2014 Vietnam War<\/strong><\/p>\n Harold A. Fritz was born on February 21, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois. Commissioned an armor officer, he deployed to Vietnam as a first lieutenant and platoon leader in Troop A, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.<\/p>\n On January 11, 1969, near Quan Loi in Binh Long Province, Fritz was leading a seven-vehicle armored column along Highway 13 to escort a truck convoy when it was ambushed in intense crossfire by a reinforced enemy company. His vehicle was hit and he was seriously wounded. Standing exposed atop his burning vehicle, he directed the positioning of his remaining vehicles and men, then ran from vehicle to vehicle under enemy fire \u2014 repositioning troops, aiding the wounded, distributing ammunition, and directing fire. He manned a machine gun to break an enemy assault, then led a small group in a pistol-and-bayonet charge that routed a second enemy force that had closed to within two meters. When a relief force arrived, he moved through heavy fire to direct its deployment, forcing the enemy to withdraw \u2014 and he refused medical attention until all his wounded comrades had been treated and evacuated.<\/p>\n Fritz received the Medal of Honor in 1971. He went on to serve 27 years in the Army, also earning the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts, and retired in 1993 as a lieutenant colonel. He lives in Peoria, Illinois, where he works at the VA’s Bob Michel Outpatient Clinic, and he has served on the board of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.<\/p>\n Sources: Wikipedia<\/a> \u00b7 Congressional Medal of Honor Society<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n