How a homeless orphan from Florida earned the Medal of Honor in Vietnam

Fifty-three years ago this Sunday, a man who grew up homeless, eating spare milk and donuts from strangers, gave his life so his fellow soldiers could survive one of the most vicious battles of the Vietnam War.

Army Staff Sgt. Clifford Chester Sims of the 101st Airborne Division was leading his squad away from a burning ammunition dump just outside the city of Huế on Feb. 21, 1968 when he heard the distinct sound of a booby trap going off. He yelled for his soldiers to get back, then he flung himself on the device, taking the full impact of the blast.

“Sims saved the lives of at least three of his squad and two of the company headquarters by absorbing the shock of the blast himself,” wrote 1st Lt. Cleo Hogan, Sims’ commander, in an eyewitness statement supporting his Medal of Honor bid. “SSG Sims made the greatest sacrifice a soldier can make … and no mark of tribute can be too great



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