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Medal of Honor Recipient

Larry Stanley Pierce

U.S. Army · Vietnam War

MOH-RC-001980Source-based record

The award

Representative medal image: Army design with a neck ribbon. Not a portrait or a photograph of this recipient’s own medal.
Army Medal of HonorRecorded presentation: 1966

Portrait not yet available. Representative medal shown.

About this image

Representative form selected from the recorded presentation year (1966), not authenticated medal-object provenance.

Medal imagery and historical designs →

Medal of Honor

September 20, 1965

near Ben Cat, Republic of Vietnam

Rank at action
Sergeant
Service
U.S. Army
Conflict
Vietnam War
Unit or command
Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade
Presentation date
February 24, 1966

The Citation

Sources ↓
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Pierce was serving as squad leader in a reconnaissance platoon when his patrol was ambushed by hostile forces. Through his inspiring leadership and personal courage, the squad succeeded in eliminating an enemy machinegun and routing the opposing force. While pursuing the fleeing enemy, the squad came upon a dirt road and, as the main body of his men entered the road, Sgt. Pierce discovered an antipersonnel mine emplaced in the road bed. Realizing that the mine could destroy the majority of his squad, Sgt. Pierce saved the lives of his men at the sacrifice of his life by throwing himself directly onto the mine as it exploded. Through his indomitable courage, complete disregard for his safety, and profound concern for his fellow soldiers, he averted loss of life and injury to the members of his squad. Sgt. Pierce's extraordinary heroism, at the cost of his life, are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

Sources & record notes

General Order comparison: pending. Current-profile review does not mean that the underlying original order has been examined.

  1. Larry Stanley Pierce — current Society profile ↗Congressional Medal of Honor Society · Checked 2026-08-30

    current identity, service, action metadata, and citation comparison

Transcription, metadata & provenance notes
Award ID
MOH-AW-001990
Transcription status
Legacy full text · current reference profile matched
Last source check
2026-08-30
Recorded order reference (not verified against the original)
7
Entered service at
Fresno, Calif.
Archive transcription SHA-256
a5694034daf6e3f44647ac4953bbc679c6c7020d2457ee7c6c6e4991634e4d3d

Legacy transcription retained without substantive editing; rendered current reference profile variants documented in the Phase 10 evidence snapshot.

The current authoritative source expands or normalizes the inherited name from Larry S. Pierce to Larry Stanley Pierce; both renderings remain preserved. The current source records Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade; the inherited unit field Headquarters Company, 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade remains preserved as a source variant. The current historical action-place wording replaces only the controlled canonical geocoder field; the complete inherited place remains preserved. The current authoritative profile classifies the action under Vietnam War; the inherited Not yet classified value remains preserved in the audit record.

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