Gold Star family of fallen Vietnam hero accepts posthumous Medal of Honor
By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Claremont resident Peter Nelson is the proud brother of Army Captain Hugh Reavis Nelson Jr., who heroically sacrificed his life by acting as a human shield for an injured gunner when his helicopter crashed in Vietnam due to enemy fire.
Nearly six decades later, Captain Nelson was honored with the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously, and his family met with President Joe Biden at the White House on Jan. 3 to receive the award. Nelson was among seven soldiers honored that day, with President Biden calling them “genuine, to the core, heroes.”
“It is the number one honor in the country,” Nelson said. “Nothing is higher. Not even the president gets this.”
Captain Nelson was a member of the 114th Aviation Company (Airmobile Light), and on June 5, 1966, the helicopter he was in came under heavy enemy fire near Moc Hoa. He was the acting aircraft commander of the helicopter on a search and destroy reconnaissance mission, and the enemy fire forced the helicopter to the ground in a crash landing, according to U.S. Army website.
Nelson exited the helicopter to help his fellow soldiers, many who were wounded, and that is when he found his wounded crew chief trapped inside. Nelson removed the specialist and then climbed into the helicopter to assist the gunner, who was trapped and couldn’t move. This is when enemy fire rained down on them about 30 feet from the helicopter. Nelson freed the trapped door gunner and then used his body as a shield to cover the wounded soldier and save his life.
President Biden honored Capt. Nelson, praising him for being a model soldier for his valor exhibited that day.
“Captain Hugh Nelson, Citadel graduate, helicopter pilot, and a proud young father,” President Biden said. “He was just 28-years-old when he and his crew were shot down in Vietnam. Hugh freed his men who were trapped in the wreckage. And when enemies began to attack, he used his body as a shield to protect them. It cost him dearly. It cost him his life. Hugh’s commanding officer called it the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, which it was.”
Nelson explained that the process started six years ago, and after it passed every hurdle, hopes grew that his brother would be awarded the medal. He had previously received the Distinguished Service medal and is the highest decorated soldier to ever graduate from The Citadel. While it wasn’t a slam dunk to receive the medal of honor, Nelson said his family hung onto hope and was elated when they found out he would be presented the award in January.
“Naturally I had all the feelings of a brother who knew he was not a perfect person, but his final act of life was indeed perfect,” Nelson said. “This is what you get crowned with sainthood for.”
Nelson, who is an ordained Episcopal priest and four years younger than Captain Nelson, said to see the flowering of his brother’s life in this way truly humbled him. He said it makes him aware of the capacity of humanity, and that his brother was a good example of a true patriot who held the life of his fellow soldier to the highest regard.
“Those values are very important to me, to put another’s life above your own,” Nelson said. “It so strikes me that in 1863 Congress voted for this medal to encourage this kind of behavior among the Union soldiers. They were saying that this was the highest aspiration of patriotism, and in the world we live in dominated by self-interest, this is a profound statement.”
Nelson said being at the ceremony was life changing, as he had never seen so many four-star generals let alone the secretary of defense and the president himself.
“They all turned out, hundreds of them, and it showed amazing respect that everyone stopped what they were doing to recognize this,” Nelson said.
Nelson’s niece, Debbie, is the oldest living child of Captain Nelson, and she was the one to receive the award. Also attending was her brother Hugh Reavis Nelson III, or Trip, and his daughter Amber Nelson. They were allowed to meet with President Biden personally, and Nelson had one minute to speak to him. He said it was such a humbling experience, and amazing to see how taken back the president was by presenting the award and meeting with them.
“I saw an expression on his face when he was presenting where he felt he didn’t measure up to that,” Nelson said. “This says a lot about him. He did not see himself above this honor and he was honored to be able to present this. That was very moving to me, to see we had a leader like that.”
Nelson said New Hampshire is his home, and he has a son and three grandchildren who are from the Claremont area. He said that while his brother graduated from The Citadel in South Carolina and was an Alabama resident, he sees this as something for Claremont to celebrate as it is the home of a proud Gold Star family.
“Only 3,515 of these have been given since 1863 and 40 million people have served, and I can tell you that this is the first from Claremont,” Nelson said.
The Nelsons will be traveling to The Citadel on Feb. 28 to present the school with the medal, which is just another mark of achievement that his brother can be honored with there. Nelson said Capt. Nelson is held of the highest regards at his alma mater, with his photograph hanging proudly on-site, and his family is pleased to be able to share the honor.
“We will be heading down with Bob and Charlene Lovett, Gary and Joella Merchant, along with myself and my wife, and my son,” Nelson said. “My niece will be presenting it, as she is the caretaker of it, but this was a family decision.”
Nelson did not serve as he was in the seminary and did not get drafted due to Sullivan’s Law, but he is part of a military family. His father was a lieutenant colonel who was a pilot in World War II, and his brother took after him, as their father was their hero.
“We are a very proud Gold Star family and always have been,” Nelson said. “I’ve always said if I can be as good a Christian as he was a soldier, I would be a great Christian. He has been someone I look up to immensely, no question.”
