Photo By Sgt. Catherine Brooks | Command Sgt. Maj. Terry Richardson, a Medal of Honor recipient, is recognized during...... read more read more
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CAMP GRAYLING, Mich.—Bullets cut through the trees around him as enemy forces in Vietnam closed in on his position. Crawling forward up a hill alone, then-Staff Sgt. Terry Richardson, from Cass City, Michigan, focused on only one mission: bringing his Soldiers home.
“We were on a movement-to-contact operation trying to secure a hill,” Richardson said. “We didn’t realize what kind of force we were up against and thought it could be a company. It ended up being an entire regiment.”
The 20-year-old platoon sergeant had already evacuated wounded Soldiers, organized his men, and taken control of the radio after his operator was shot. When Richardson reached the crest of the hill, he saw something far more troubling than the gunfire around him. His company of 85 Soldiers was being encircled by an enemy force estimated in the thousands. Knowing the battle could be lost within hours, he exposed himself to enemy fire and spent the next eight hours directing airstrikes that would help save every Soldier in his company.
“I was in an irrigation ditch talking to the forward air controller, and he wanted me to throw a smoke grenade,” Richardson said, describing the air controller’s reaction to the situation.
Richardson said he could read the enemy commander’s intent through hand signals and movement across the hill. Frustrated, he refused the request and was told to immediately switch his radio channel to talk directly with the pilots.
"I told him (the forward air controller) if we signaled the location, we'd all be dead," Richardson said. For eight hours, he remained in position, calling in strike after strike as bombs and napalm crashed into enemy positions around him. When the strikes ended, the Vietnamese withdrew, and all 85 Soldiers in Richardson's company were alive.
“I was directly behind a rubber tree. Napalm had stuck to it and was smoldering,” Richardson said. “I knew God was with me because that napalm could have easily hit me.”
Nearly 58 years later, Richardson’s actions were recognized with the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award for valor. President Donald Trump presented the award in March 2026 for his actions on Hill 222, a battle that would shape the rest of Richardson’s life and define a legacy of service extending far beyond Vietnam.
After leaving active duty, Richardson returned home but found himself missing military life. This led him to join the Michigan National Guard after about a ten-year break from service. He joined the Guard in 1978. "I missed the camaraderie. I missed being around Soldiers," he said.
Over the next three decades, Richardson served in leadership positions across the state for 29 and a half years. He started in Saginaw, where he advanced from squad leader to platoon sergeant and first sergeant. Later, he served as the battalion sergeant major of the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, in Flint, Michigan, before becoming the post command sergeant major at Camp Grayling, a position he held for the final 11 years of his career. The lessons he carried from Vietnam shaped his approach to leadership in the Michigan National Guard.
"The most important thing is to take care of your people," Richardson said. "It is always so important to go the extra mile. To get to know the people you work with and their families. I would send notes to Soldiers when they accomplished things. Recognizing people for doing good things makes the difference."
He took particular pride in the professionalism of Michigan National Guard Soldiers and the standards they maintained.
"We trained hard in the National Guard," Richardson said. "I always felt our Soldiers were every bit as capable as their active-duty counterparts."
During his time in the Guard, Richardson observed Soldiers consistently performing at an exceptional level, earning honors graduate recognition alongside active-duty counterparts and executing complex missions and convoy operations during drill weekends that prompted active-duty units to ask how they were able to accomplish them.
As time passed, he witnessed it firsthand following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as Soldiers prepared for deployments around the world and the National Guard entered the global fight alongside them.
"After 9/11, I had people pounding on my office door wanting to know what they could do to help," he said. Today, as he reflects on decades in uniform, his advice to younger Soldiers remains simple.
"Train hard, stick together with your unit, and don't be afraid to try things that you don't know if you can do," Richardson said. "Take advantage of the education you can get. Don't be afraid to go to leadership schools."
The Medal of Honor now places Richardson among a small group of Americans whose actions in combat are remembered as extraordinary. Yet when asked what the recognition means, his thoughts return to those who helped him along the way.
“I am proud to say I served my country and honored to be with those I served with,” Richardson said.
Richardson’s life reflects decades of service, sacrifice, and steadfast dedication to Soldiers. His journey leaves a legacy that continues to resonate with Soldiers and civilians today.
| Date Taken: | 12.31.1969 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2026 11:05 |
| Story ID: | 568552 |
| Location: | CAMP GRAYLING, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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