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Medal of Honor recipient Army Capt. Humbert Versace.
Army Capt. Humbert Versace’s brothers uncover his Medal of Honor plaque during an induction ceremony into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes, July 9, 2002. President George W. Bush presented the award to Versace’s family at the White House one day earlier.
Episode 2746 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army Capt. Humbert Versace and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Army Capt. Humbert Versace. It was submitted by Katie Lange, the outstanding writer for DOD News.
Lange, in her story, reported that Army Capt. Humbert Versace was the son of an Army colonel who decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1959. He served in Korea before volunteering to go to Vietnam as an advisor.
Lange added this about him. In October 1963, Versace was accompanying a South Vietnamese military unit when it came under attack by Viet Cong enemies. He was seriously wounded in the battle, but he continued to fight until he was taken prisoner.
Since he could speak French and Vietnamese, Versace largely assumed command of the other men imprisoned with him. For nearly two years, he withstood exhaustive interrogations, torture and abuse without breaking. He even tried to escape four times.
Versace was eventually isolated, caged, shackled in irons and starved before he was executed on Sept. 26, 1965. His body was never recovered.
For his unyielding courage in the most dire of situations, Versace was nominated for the Medal of Honor in 1969, but he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star instead. It took until 2002 for that award to be upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
Listen to episode 2746 and discover more about Army Capt. Humbert Versace and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.
