Gordon Yntema's Medal of Honor Sacrifice in Kontum, Vietnam

Oct 08 , 2025

Gordon Yntema's Medal of Honor Sacrifice in Kontum, Vietnam

Gordon Douglas Yntema stood alone in the choking jungle, bullets punching the air around him. Wounded, exhausted, his position overrun, he made a choice—no one else would die that day if he had breath left in his lungs. He fought like a cornered wolf, buying time with body and bone, until his squad could retreat. That moment marked the man.

The Roots of a Warrior

Born in Little Falls, New York, 1945, Gordon was raised in a world that valued duty and faith. A high school athlete turned soldier, he carried with him more than a rifle. A quiet Christian conviction anchored his heart—a code written in James 1:27, “Pure religion and undefiled before God... is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.” His battles weren’t only against enemy fire but against the specter of fear and despair.

He enlisted in the Army, joining the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) during the brutal years of Vietnam. The man himself was measured by the weight he willingly bore—for country, for brothers-in-arms, for a cause bigger than self.

Blood on the Jungle Floor: The Battle That Defined Him

November 21, 1968—Kontum Province, Vietnam.

Yntema’s company was ambushed by a relentless enemy force. Under heavy fire, their perimeter was pierced. Yntema, a sergeant then, found himself flung into a living nightmare. His squad shattered, wounded men screaming into the dense foliage.

His position? The last stronghold between his men and annihilation. Though shot through the knee and with shrapnel tearing flesh elsewhere, Yntema refused to relent. With grenades and rifle fire, he fought round after round, closing the enemy’s advance.

When enemy soldiers swarmed, trying to silence his machine gun, he stood his ground like a sentinel. His final act—throwing his body onto a live grenade to save nearby comrades—ended his life but spared theirs.

This was sacrifice: purpose found through the unbearable crucible of combat.

Honors Worn in Blood

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, Yntema’s citation captures a soldier’s pure grit:

"His extraordinary heroism and selflessness were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army."¹

Commanders called him “a warrior without fear,” a man whose actions inspired a battered company to survive. Fellow soldiers remembered his calm under fire, his unwavering dedication—even as wounds mounted and hope dimmed.

His Medal of Honor now sits alongside records that tell an unvarnished tale of courage, duty, and ultimate sacrifice.

The Legacy in the Ashes

Gordon Douglas Yntema’s story is not some distant war relic. It is a mirror—reflecting what real courage demands when everything is lost but will.

Every scar, every fallen comrade, every painful choice carved out one truth: sacrifice writes the fiercest legacy. The warrior’s path is littered with suffering, yet sanctified by purpose.

“Greater love hath no man than this,” says John 15:13, “that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Yntema understood this scripture—not as words, but as verdict.

Today, his memory calls veterans and civilians alike to reckon with courage beyond comfort. To see that redemption is forged in hellish moments, that heroism does not glitter—it bleeds.

Gordon Yntema died that others might live. His life and death bear witness to the sacred price of freedom—a burden borne by few, honored by all who will remember what it means to stand and fight, no matter the cost.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Vietnam (M-Z) 2. Department of Defense, Medal of Honor Citation: Sgt. Gordon D. Yntema 3. Vietnam War Combat Unit Records, 1st Cavalry Division Archives