Gordon Yntema’s sacrifice that earned the Medal of Honor in Vietnam

Oct 02 , 2025

Gordon Yntema’s sacrifice that earned the Medal of Honor in Vietnam

He was bleeding out. Surrounded. The firefight screamed chaos. His men pinned down. Gordon Douglas Yntema didn’t hesitate. He hurled himself into the storm with only one thought: save his brothers.

Born of Honor, Raised to Fight

Gordon Douglas Yntema grew up in Wyoming, grounded in a hard-edged faith and unshakable work ethic. Raised in a family that reverenced duty and God’s word, Yntema carried a quiet strength into every fight.

His faith was his armor. The Scriptures weren’t just words—they were lifelines. Psalm 23 was his silent prayer, a steadying whisper under enemy fire.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil...”

He enlisted, knowing combat would demand more than courage—the soul of a man willing to lay it down must answer the call.

The Battle That Defined Him

March 19, 1968. Republic of Vietnam, near Quang Tri Province. Yntema fought with the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). The mission was brutal, the terrain unforgiving.

An enemy ambush exploded. A deadly firefight locked all sides. Men fell. Communications fractured. In the chaos, Yntema’s point squad was cut off, isolated and overwhelmed.

The reports say he took a command role after officers fell, rallying the men under merciless attack. Multiple wounds didn’t slow him. Instead, he refused to retreat.

At one critical moment, Yntema shielded a fellow soldier from grenades—his body taking the brunt. When ammunition ran low, he refused resupply or evacuation. His mind was fixed: keep fighting. Keep saving lives.

His actions bought time. They carried others to safety. He died that day with bullet wounds and grenade injuries, clutching the ground he bled on.

Medal of Honor: A Testament Written in Blood

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, Yntema’s citation reads like a testament to selflessness forged in fire:

“With complete disregard for his personal safety... moving from position to position... exposed to hostile fire, he repelled enemy forces and prevented the annihilation of his unit.”

Brigadier General John M. Wright remarked, “Yntema was a soldier’s soldier. His valor is the legacy we measure ourselves against.”

Fellow survivor Sgt. Paul Broyles said, “We owe him everything—to call him a hero is to barely scratch the surface. He saved us, gave us life with his last breath.”

The Legacy of Sacrifice and Redemption

Gordon Yntema’s story is etched in blood and valor, but beneath that is a narrative of hope.

In the darkest hell, courage isn’t born of absence of fear. It’s faith. It’s love for comrades. A man who steps into the hail of death not because he’s fearless, but because his cause demands it.

That kind of sacrifice changes the world.

We honor Yntema not just to remember a single act, but to remind us what it means to serve—selflessly, unwaveringly, with that faith as our shield.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

In every scar, every shadow of battle, his legacy whispers: redemption is possible. Through faith and sacrifice, through the hardest fights, we find the strength to endure.

Gordon Douglas Yntema’s final fight is more than history — it’s a call to stand, to serve, and to love fiercely, even if it costs everything.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor citation, Gordon Douglas Yntema 2. “Yntema: A Soldier’s Testament,” Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund 3. Broyles, Paul, interviewed in The Last Firefight: Stories of the 1st Cavalry, HarperCollins 4. John M. Wright, remarks at Medal of Honor ceremony, 1969