"Conspicuous Gallantry" is a brief but detailed biography of Medal of Honor recipient Major Stephen Pless, USMC,who I once met in Pensacola. Major Pless received the Medal of Honor becasue of his, and his crew's, extraordinary display of courage during a August 19,1967 mission to rescue four American soldiers who were surrounded on a South China Sea beach. The soldiers had been ordered tp establish a defensive perimeter for an Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter which had made an emergency landing to assess battle damage. Almost as soon as the soldiers did as thet were ordered, the CH-47 was attacked by as many as 70 Viet Cong (VC) soldiers who were hidden in the nearby jungle. When the attack began, the CH-47 inexplicably took off, leaving the four soldiers to fend for themselves.Major Pless, who had just been released from a medevac escort mission a few miles away, immediately went to rescue the stranded soldiers. What happened when Pless and his crew arrived was described by witnesses as a virtual suicide mission which involved the most intense combat they had ever seen.Shortly after the mission, Pless was nominated to receive the Medal of Honor, and he was reassigned to the Pensacola Naval Air Station as a flight instructor. Almost two years llater he received the medal, was promoted to Major and became the Director of Physical Fitness at the Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS), also in Pensacola.Major Pless was the only Marine Aviator to receive the Medal of Honor, the first Marine to receive it alive in the Viet Nam war, and the commanding officer of the most decorated helicopter crew in Marine Corps history. He instantly became Marine Corps Royalty and the face of the Marine Corps. As a result of his accomplishments Pless was much in demand as a guest of honor or main speaker at many civilian and military events. Pictures and stories of his appearances were published in local newspapers almost every week.Unfortunately, Major Pless was also a troubled man, apparently driven to excess drinking and reckless behavior by the horrors of combat.He died suddenly on July 20, 1969, the day of the moonwalk, as a result of what was called, "An accident on a bridge".I spent over twenty years researching the circumstances of Major Pless' death.After accumulating dozens of newspaper articles, photographs, police records and the comments of many Pless' friends and squadron mates, I wrote "Conspicuous Gallantry". It clearly shows that his death was much more than "An accident on a Bridge". I also capsulated the story of Pless' last days as a character in my book. "Pensacola Days".I hope you enjoy both.
