SECTION 1. Findings.
Congress finds the following:
Richard A. Pittman was born on May 26, 1945, in French Camp, California.
Richard A. Pittman enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1965 and was later promoted to Lance Corporal.
On July 24, 1966, Lance Corporal Pittman’s unit, First Platoon, Company I, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, was moving along a trail near the Demilitarized Zone in the Republic of Vietnam when the Marines ahead of them came under attack.
Upon hearing the attack, Lance Corporal Pittman took a machine gun and several belts of ammunition and rushed to aid his comrades. As he advanced, Lance Corporal Pittman encountered intense small-arms fire at point-blank range. He was able to return fire and silence the enemy combatants. Continuing towards the attacked Marines, Lance Corporal Pittman came under heavy fire from two automatic weapons, which he was able to destroy.
When Lance Corporal Pittman learned there were additional wounded Marines further along the trail, he endured enemy mortar and gunfire to get to them. As he reached them, he faced an attack by 30 to 40 enemy fighters.
Lance Corporal Pittman used a combination of machine-gun fire, an enemy submachine gun, a pistol from a fallen comrade, and a grenade to cause enemy forces to withdraw. Due to his courageous actions, many of his wounded comrades were saved.
In recognition of his bravery that day, Richard A. Pittman, who was then a Sergeant, was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B. Johnson on May 14, 1968.
Richard A. Pittman retired in 1988 as a Master Sergeant, after having served in the Marine Corps for more than two decades.