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Medal of Honor Recipient

Thomas Joseph McMahon

U.S. Army · Vietnam War

MOH-RC-002088Source-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 HonorAction-era reference: 1969

Portrait not yet available. Representative medal shown.

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Medal of Honor

March 19, 1969

Quang Tin Province, Republic of Vietnam

Rank at action
Specialist Fourth Class
Service
U.S. Army
Conflict
Vietnam War
Unit or command
Company A, 2d Battalion, 1st Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division

The Citation

Sources ↓
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. McMahon distinguished himself while serving as medical aid man with Company A. When the lead elements of his company came under heavy fire from well-fortified enemy positions, 3 soldiers fell seriously wounded. Sp4c. McMahon, with complete disregard for his safety, left his covered position and ran through intense enemy fire to the side of 1 of the wounded, administered first aid and then carried him to safety. He returned through the hail of fire to the side of a second wounded man. Although painfully wounded by an exploding mortar round while returning the wounded man to a secure position, Sp4c. McMahon refused medical attention and heroically ran back through the heavy enemy fire toward his remaining wounded comrade. He fell mortally wounded before he could rescue the last man. Sp4c. McMahon's undaunted concern for the welfare of his comrades at the cost of his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

Sources & record notes

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

  1. Thomas Joseph McMahon — 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-002098
Transcription status
Legacy full text · current reference profile matched
Last source check
2026-08-30
Entered service at
Portland, Maine
Archive transcription SHA-256
60b19e1ba578e5011e336d2354fd09cb17f0915f871ceff232b65b144472a498

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 Thomas J. Mcmahon to Thomas Joseph McMahon; both renderings remain preserved. The current authoritative unit wording is Company A, 2d Battalion, 1st Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division; the inherited unit Company A, 2d Battalion, 1st Infantry, 196th Infantry 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.