In 1968, a Cobra Pilot Saved Four Men. One of Them Won Him the Medal of Honor 55 Years Later.

How could Larry Taylor bring four trapped soldiers home in a Cobra built for two? On June 18, 1968, fuel and ammunition were running out. Northeast of Saigon, Wildcat Two lay surrounded in a rice paddy near Ap Go Cong. The planned Huey extraction had been called off. Overhead, Taylor and J. O. Ratliff flew Darkhorse 32, an AH-1G gunship with no passenger cabin. Signal flares could help them find the patrol—but would reveal the four men to the enemy as well. The film follows the night from the cockpit and the buffalo trail: radio calls, dwindling ammunition, a blocked route to the river, and a decision made with little fuel left. It then follows David Hill, the patrol's assistant team leader, to a 1999 reunion in Branson and a struggle over what the Army had recorded—and whose account it had never heard. Army award documents, published accounts from the men who were there, and family remembrances ground the story. Where memories and official records differ, those differences remain visible, with care for the crews, the patrol, the families, and the people of Ap Go Cong whose losses the available record does not tell us. The judgments are yours to make. 0:00 Wildcat Two Surrounded 5:34 Darkhorse 32 8:32 A Flare in the Dark 10:48 Stay Off My Radio 15:12 A Hole in the Ring 18:36 Ten Seconds on the Ground 22:45 Eighty-Seven Days 27:51 Branson, 1999 29:34 The Fight for Recognition 33:41 Thank You, Sir Selected sources U.S. Army — Medal of Honor citation, Capt. (then 1st Lt.) Larry L. Taylor (2023) Headquarters, 1st Infantry Division — General Orders Number 12673, Award of the Silver Star, 1LT Larry L. Taylor (1968) The White House — Remarks on Presenting the Medal of Honor to Captain Larry L. Taylor (2023) Todd South — This daring Vietnam rescue finally results in Medal of Honor award (2023) The American Legion — Vietnam pilot third from Chattanooga post to wear Medal of Honor (2023) ABC News — Vietnam vet awarded Medal of Honor 55 years later for daring helicopter rescue (2023) Caroline Colvin — The Road to the Medal (Welcome Home) (2023) The Virtual Wall, remembrance by Janice Cohn — William Paul Cohn, Jr (2006) This documentary is not financial advice. Some scenes are illustrated with reconstructions. #LarryTaylor #VietnamWar #MilitaryHistory About this film: some scenes are AI-generated reconstructions, used only where no original footage or photographs exist, and they are marked on screen as reconstructions. The narration is an AI voice. The script is researched and fact-checked against the sources listed above.