11/04/2025
On this day, 57 years ago, November 1, 1968, 39-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Charles Calvin Rogers of the United States Army was commanding the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment near the Cambodian border in the Republic of Vietnam.
His unit was stationed at a forward fire support base when it came under an intense, coordinated enemy attack.
The base was subjected to a heavy barrage of mortar, rocket, and gr***de fire which was quickly followed by a human wave ground assault.
The attacking enemy sappers used bangalore torpedoes to breach the defensive barriers, forcing their way inside the perimeter.
Despite the continuous and deadly fire raining down, Rogers moved deliberately through the hazardous zone to reach the embattled areas.
He rallied the disoriented artillery crewmen, directed them to man their howitzers, and efficiently orchestrated their fire on the enemy.
The heavy bombardment included exploding rounds that knocked Rogers to the ground, causing injury, but he quickly recovered and sprang to his feet to lead a small counterattack against an enemy force that had penetrated the howitzer positions.
Although wounded a second time during this counterattack, Rogers pressed the assault and personally killed several enemy soldiers while driving the remainder from their positions.
He refused medical treatment and immediately set about reestablishing and reinforcing the defensive lines to repel further enemy advances.
As the enemy mounted a second human wave attack on another sector, Rogers again directed artillery fire and led a counterattack which invoked extraordinary bravery from the beleaguered defenders.
Throughout the relentless fighting, Rogers moved from position to position under heavy enemy fire, encouraging and directing his men.
At dawn, the enemy launched a third desperate assault to overrun the fire base.
Rogers moved to the most threatened area and skillfully directed deadly fire upon the enemy forces.
He assisted the surviving members of a howitzer crew to return their weapon to action after casualties had rendered it inoperable.
While leading the position’s defense, Rogers was gravely wounded by fragments from a heavy mortar explosion on the gun parapet.
Although too severely injured to physically lead further countermeasures, he continued to encourage and direct his troops until the enemy retreat.
For his outstanding gallantry, intrepidity in action, and unwavering leadership under fire, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Calvin Rogers was awarded the Medal of Honor.
On May 14, 1970, Rogers received the Medal of Honor from President Richard Nixon in a White House ceremony.
He retired from the U.S. Army in 1984 as a Major General and later served as an ordained Baptist minister.
Charles Calvin Rogers died on September 21, 1990, in Munich, West Germany.
He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
