In 1965, Milton L. Olive III, a United States Army soldier was the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War.
On this day October 22nd, in African American History In 1965, Milton L. Olive III, a United States Army soldier was the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War. The Medal of Honor, America’s highest military decoration was posthumously awarded to Olive for sacrificing his life for his fellow soldiers at age 18. Part of the Congressional Medal of Honor Citation reads: “Pfc. Olive and four other soldiers were moving through the jungle together when a grenade was thrown into their midst. Pfc. Olive saw the grenade, and then saved the lives of his fellow soldiers at the sacrifice of his own by grabbing the grenade in his hand and falling on it to absorb the blast with his body.” Private First-Class Olive was born on November 7, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois. Olive joined the military at age 17 and was serving in Vietnam as a part of Company B of the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. He died in the jungle area i