Paul Bucha, Medal of Honor recipient who saved unit under siege, dies at 80

As an Army captain, he destroyed a bunker and led a company fighting an overwhelming North Vietnamese force in a March 1968 battle.



Capt. Paul Bucha, front left, after the battle against North Vietnamese forces that began March 18, 1968. The two other men are not identified. (U.S. Army/Congressional Medal of Honor Society)

By Brian Murphy
August 2, 2024 at 6:39 p.m. EDT

Pinned down in a jungle clearing in March 1968, the commander of Delta Company knew their best hope was for battlefield deception. The U.S. unit was outgunned by a much-larger force of North Vietnamese soldiers and allied guerrillas. … The Americans could not afford to reveal their disadvantage. “If they knew how small we were, we’d be finished,” recalled Paul Bucha, then an Army captain who led the nearly 90-man company that came upon a North Vietnamese battalion during patrols in a region north of Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City.

As darkness fell, Capt. Bucha had his soldiers hurl grenades and open bursts of gunfire from points stretched across their line. The U.S. attacks went on until dawn, seeking to give the impression of greater numbers and firepower. … Meanwhile, Capt. Bucha — who was earlier wounded by shrapnel — used smoke grenades and small lights to help target strikes from helicopter gunships and guide other choppers to carry away wounded soldiers.

“We were beyond artillery so I couldn’t bring in any supporting fires,” recounted Capt. Bucha, who died at a hospital in West Haven, Conn., on July 31, one day before his 81st birthday. After daybreak, Capt. Bucha led the remaining soldiers in the company to evacuation helicopters.

The dead from the all-night clash included more than 150 North Vietnamese troops and 10 soldiers in Delta Company, the U.S. military reported. In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon presented Capt. Bucha with the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest award for valor.

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By Brian Murphy
Brian Murphy joined The Washington Post after more than 20 years as a foreign correspondent and bureau chief for the Associated Press in Europe and the Middle East. Murphy has reported from more than 50 countries and has written four books. Twitter