b. 07/11/1946 Chicago, Illinois. d. 22/10/1965 Phu Cuong, Vietnam.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 22/10/1965 Phu Cuong, Vietnam.
Milton L Olive MOH
Olive joined the Army from his birth city of Chicago, Illinois in 1964, and was serving as a Private First Class in Company B of the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam by 1965. On October 22, 1965, while moving through the jungle with four fellow soldiers in Phu Cuong, Olive sacrificed his life by smothering an enemy-thrown grenade with his body. For his actions on that day, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
At a ceremony on the steps of the White House, on April 21, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson presented Olive’s Medal of Honor to his father and stepmother. Also in attendance were two of the four men whose lives were saved by Olive’s actions.
Olive’s body was returned to the United States and buried in West Grove Cemetery at Lexington, Holmes County, Mississippi. He was born in Chicago but left as a young boy living in Lexington, Mississippi, where he finished high school.
MOH CITATION:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Olive was a member of the 3d Platoon of Company B, as it moved through the jungle to find the Viet Cong operating in the area. Although the platoon was subjected to a heavy volume of enemy gunfire and pinned down temporarily, it retaliated by assaulting the Viet Cong positions, causing the enemy to flee. As the platoon pursued the insurgents, 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 by grabbing the grenade in his hand and falling on it to absorb the blast with his body. Through his bravery, unhesitating actions, and complete disregard for his safety, he prevented additional loss of life or injury to the members of his platoon. Pfc. Olive’s extraordinary heroism, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
BURIAL LOCATION: WEST GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH CEMETERY, LEXINGTON, MISSISSIPPI.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: FAMILY.
