National Medal of Honor Museum via Texas Capital Bank
Texas Capital Bank President and CEO Rob Holmes, left, moderated a lunchtime chat with Charlotte Jones, Col. Jack Jacobs, and Chris Cassidy at The Crescent Hotel Fort Worth.
Robert Law died in Vietnam on Feb. 22, 1969, the 140th casualty from Tarrant County as part of the yearslong American war effort there.
Law had been in the country for eight months. He was planning to return to Fort Worth in June.
An Army lieutenant who personally delivered the news to his mother said her 24-year-old son had been killed by a hand grenade while on patrol in Tinh Phuoc, Thanh Province.
His death certificate even simply stated that it was an explosion from a grenade that ended his life.
Soon, however, his mother found out the rest of the story. It was, in fact, a grenade that had killed her son.
The company was returning from patrol when Law, a graduate of Trimble Tech High School — it was simply called Tech High School in his day — looked back and saw a communist Vietcong guerrilla soldier hiding in the bushes, throwing a grenade.
Law covered it with his body. The explosion killed him, but his actions saved his brothers.
Law is one of three Fort Worth residents who have earned the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest and most prestigious military decoration, awarded to members of the armed forces who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty.
Law’s family received his medal posthumously from President Richard Nixon in a ceremony in the East Room in 1970.
Maj. Horace Carswell and Cpl. Charles Pendleton also received the Medal of Honor posthumously for uncommon valor in World War II and the Korean War.
All three will be a part of the 100,000-square-foot National Medal of Honor Museum under construction in Arlington. It is scheduled to open in March, but this tribute to heroes, heroism, and their dedication to cause and American values is long overdue.
“Many of you may be sitting here wondering the same thing," said Charlotte Jones, chair of the board of directors of the museum. "And that was our first question: Why hasn't this been done already?”
The drive to build this museum is 20 years in the making. Arlington beat out Denver as the winning bid in 2019 to be home to the museum.
“This museum needed to be in Texas,” said Jones, whose family was initially approached about Arlington's aspirations by Mayor Jim Ross.
A donor in Colorado got it off the ground with a $20 million pledge. The Jones family, which heads the Dallas Cowboys, matched it. John and Cami Goff followed suit.
The museum is still trying to reach its fundraising goal of $275 million. It still needs just under $25 million.
Jones took part in an informational luncheon to fundraise at The Crescent Hotel Fort Worth on Wednesday afternoon. She was joined by Col. Jack Jacobs, a Medal of Honor recipient and fellow board member, and Chris Cassidy, president and CEO of the museum and former Navy SEAL and NASA astronaut, in a roundtable question-and-answer session.
Fort Worth was the third stop on a four-city swing through Texas that began last night in Houston. They started Wednesday in San Antonio for breakfast and ended the day in Dallas for dinner.
It was sponsored by Texas Capital Bank.
“Our goal, our vision, is to convey to the United States of America the stories of courage and sacrifice and patriotism of ordinary people, who when the nation called on them, did something extraordinary,” Cassidy said. “Those are stories that we're gonna share in the museum.”
The museum will tell the stories of Medal of Honor recipients since it was established during the administration of President Abraham Lincoln, who signed the bill establishing the medal into law in July 1862.
More than 40 million have served in the U.S. military, but only slightly more than 3,500 have received the Medal of Honor.
There are 60 living recipients.
The museum also will feature outreach programs to educate younger generations not only about these American heroes, but the characteristics of courage and the value they possessed. In a partnership with the NFL, the museum has added a Medal of Honor module to the NFL’s “Character Playbook,” a program for school students. The “Character Playbook” was in 29,000 classrooms last school year, Cassidy said.
Concurrent to that the museum has put together a separate program to debut in the Arlington school district and surround school districts this year, starting with seventh and eighth graders and a vision to expand to other grades.
“When I was first decorated, there were almost 400 living recipients,” said Jacobs, who earned his medal for valor in Vietnam in 1968. “A few years ago, we came to the realization that we're a wasting asset. And one of these days, there won't be any of us left. And if we're gonna have any impact whatsoever on making sure that succeeding generations have the same values that we have, we've got to get started working on it. It's really important to all of us that we do our best to make sure that everybody understands what the cost of freedom is, how much it costs to get it, and how much more it costs to hold on to it.”
HORACE S. CARSWELL JR.
RANK: MAJOR
CONFLICT/ERA: WORLD WAR II
UNIT/COMMAND:374TH BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON, 308TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP,14TH AIR FORCE
MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS
MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: OCTOBER 26, 1944 (Killed in action)
MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA, NEAR TUNGCHEN, SOUTH CHINA SEA
PRESENTING PRESIDENT: HARRY TRUMAN
BURIAL SITE: OAKWOOD CEMETERY, FORT WORTH
What they said about him: In a bombing run on a cruiser, Carswell’s B-24 went as low as 600 feet. When the cruiser blew up “only the skill of Maj. Carswell saved his bomber from destruction.” It was, “one of the most outstanding acts of bravery of this war that I’ve known about.” — Brig. Gen. Clinton D. Vincent
CITATION
He piloted a B-24 bomber in a one-plane strike against a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea on the night of 26 October 1944. Taking the enemy force of 12 ships escorted by at least two destroyers by surprise, he made one bombing run at 600 feet, scoring a near miss on one warship and escaping without drawing fire. He circled and, fully realizing that the convoy was thoroughly alerted and would meet his next attack with a barrage of anitaircraft fire, began a second low-level run which culminated in two direct hits on a large tanker. A hail of steel from Japanese guns riddled the bomber, knocking out two engines, damaging a third, crippling the hydraulic system, puncturing one gasoline tank, ripping uncounted holes in the aircraft, and wounding the copilot; but by a magnificent display of flying skill, Maj. Carswell controlled the plane's plunge toward the sea and carefully forced it into a halting climb in the direction of the China shore. On reaching land, where it would have been possible to abandon the staggering bomber, one of the crew discovered that his parachute had been ripped by flak and rendered useless; the pilot, hoping to cross mountainous terrain and reach a base, continued onward until the third engine failed. He ordered the crew to bail out while he struggled to maintain altitude, and, refusing to save himself, chose to remain with his comrade and attempt a crash landing. He died when the plane struck a mountainside and burned. With consummate gallantry and intrepidity, Maj. Carswell gave his life in a supreme effort to save all members of his crew. His sacrifice, far beyond that required of him, was in keeping with the traditional bravery of America's war heroes.
CHARLES F. PENDLETON
RANK: CORPORAL
CONFLICT/ERA: KOREAN WAR
UNIT/COMMAND: COMPANY D, 15TH INFANTRY REGIMENT,3D INFANTRY DIVISION
MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. ARMY
MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: JULY 16, 1953 (Killed in action)
MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: NEAR CHOO GUNG-DONG, KOREA
PRESENTING PRESIDENT: DWIGHT EISENHOWER
BURIAL SITE: LAUREL LAND, FORT WORTH
What they said about him: “While the fighting was going on, a grenade landed a few feet away from him, on the trench ridge. I saw him jump over, pick up and throw the grenade down the hill. A few minutes later another grenade landed in his position, wounding him in the shoulder and chest, but he refused medical aid and evacuation and continued firing on the enemy. … His heroic actions inspired us all and enabled us to drive off the enemy.” — Pendleton’s platoon leader
CITATION
Cpl. Pendleton, a machine gunner with Company D, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and indomitable courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. After consolidating and establishing a defensive perimeter on a key terrain feature, friendly elements were attacked by a large hostile force. Cpl. Pendleton delivered deadly accurate fire into the approaching troops, killing approximately 15 and disorganizing the remainder with grenades. Unable to protect the flanks because of the narrow confines of the trench, he removed the machine gun from the tripod and, exposed to enemy observation, positioned it on his knee to improve his firing vantage. Observing a hostile infantryman jumping into the position, intent on throwing a grenade at his comrades, he whirled about and killed the attacker, then inflicted such heavy casualties on the enemy force that they retreated to regroup. After reorganizing, a second wave of hostile soldiers moved forward in an attempt to overrun the position and, later, when a hostile grenade landed nearby, Cpl. Pendleton quickly retrieved and hurled it back at the foe. Although he was burned by the hot shells ejecting from his weapon, and he was wounded by a grenade, he refused evacuation and continued to fire on the assaulting force. As enemy action increased in tempo, his machine gun was destroyed by a grenade but, undaunted, he grabbed a carbine and continued his heroic defense until mortally wounded by a mortar burst. Cpl. Pendleton's unflinching courage, gallant self-sacrifice, and consummate devotion to duty reflect lasting glory upon himself and uphold the finest traditions of the military service.
ROBERT D. LAW
RANK: SPECIALIST FOURTH CLASS
CONFLICT/ERA: VIETNAM WAR
UNIT/COMMAND: COMPANY I (RANGER), 75TH INFANTRY,1ST INFANTRY DIVISION
MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. ARMY
MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: FEBRUARY 22, 1969
MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: TINH PHUOC, THANH PROVINCE, REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM
PRESENTING PRESIDENT: RICHARD NIXON
BURIAL SITE: MOUNT OLIVET, FORT WORTH
What they said about him: “When an enemy grenade landed in his team’s position, Specialist Law, instead of diving into the safety of a stream behind him, threw himself on the grenade to save the lives of his comrades.”
CITATION
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Spc. Law distinguished himself while serving with Company I. While on a long-range reconnaissance patrol in Tinh Phuoc Thanh Province, Spc. Law and five comrades made contact with a small enemy patrol. As the opposing elements exchanged intense fire, he maneuvered to a perilously exposed position flanking his comrades and began placing suppressive fire on the hostile troops. Although his team was hindered by a low supply of ammunition and suffered from an unidentified irritating gas in the air, Spc. Law's spirited defense and challenging counterassault rallied his fellow soldiers against the well-equipped hostile troops. When an enemy grenade landed in his team's position, Spc. Law, instead of diving into the safety of a stream behind him, threw himself on the grenade to save the lives of his comrades. Spc. Law's extraordinary courage and profound concern for his fellow soldiers were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.