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A portrait of retired Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. John L. Canley, taken July 9, 2018. President Donald J. Trump presented Canley with the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony, Oct. 17, 2018, for his heroic actions during the Battle of Hue City while serving in Vietnam.
Episode 2747 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about U.S. Marine SMJ John L. Canley and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Vietnam Vet Gets Medal of Honor After 50-Year Wait. It was submitted by Katie Lange, the outstanding writer for DOD News.
Lange, in her story, reported that It’s been 50 years since John L. Canley, then a Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, led his company in a brutal weeklong fight against North Vietnamese troops, saving hundreds of people from harm during the infamous Battle of Hue City. Today, he received the Medal of Honor for his actions.
Lange added this about him. Canley received a Navy Cross two years after the battle, but many of the men who served under him thought he deserved the nation’s highest honor. After years of bureaucratic delays, their campaign succeeded. Now 80, and retired at the rank of sergeant major, he is the 300th Marine to have earned the nation’s highest military honor.
The Battle of Hue City was one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War. It was part of the surprise attack by North Vietnamese troops that’s famously known as the Tet Offensive.
Canley was a gunnery sergeant for Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, during a weeklong portion of the battle to retake the city.
On Jan. 31, 1968, the company came across intense enemy fire. Canley ran through it, risking his life to carry several injured Marines back to safety. His company commander was wounded during the shootout, so Canley assumed command despite his own injuries. He reorganized the scattered men and personally moved through their ranks to advise and encourage them.
Listen to episode 2747 and discover more about U.S. Marine SMJ John L. Canley and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.
