![]() ![]() Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey resolutely directed his men, despite his near-unconscious state, until he was eventually evacuated by helicopter. After successfully suppressing the enemy's fire, and although immobilized by his multiple wounds, he continued to maintain calm, superlative control as he ordered his team to secure and defend an extraction site. Utilizing his radioman, Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey called in the second element's fire support which caught the confused Viet Cong in a devastating cross fire. Although bleeding profusely and suffering great pain, he displayed outstanding courage and presence of mind in immediately directing his element's fire into the heart of the enemy camp. Just as they neared the end of their descent, intense enemy fire was directed at them, and Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey received massive injuries from a grenade which exploded at his feet and threw him backward onto the jagged rocks. Splitting his team in two elements and coordinating both, Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey led his men in the treacherous downward descent to the enemy's camp. ![]() In order to surprise the enemy, he and his team scaled a 350-foot sheer cliff to place themselves above the ledge on which the enemy was located. Acting in response to reliable intelligence, Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey led his SEAL Team on a mission to capture important members of the enemy's area political cadre known to be located on an island in the bay of Nha Trang. Navy's variant of the Medal of Honor.įor conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 14 March 1969 while serving as a SEAL Team Leader during action against enemy aggressor (Viet Cong) forces in the Republic of Vietnam. On May 14, 1970, President Richard Nixon awarded Kerrey the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions. He was later medically discharged from the US Navy due to his wounds. While suffering shrapnel wounds and blood loss, Kerrey organized his squad in a counterattack that killed or captured enemy Viet Cong. He was seriously wounded and lost the lower part of his right leg in combat on Hon Tre island near Nha Trang Bay on March 14, 1969. After extensive pre-deployment training, Kerrey deployed to the Republic of Vietnam as assistant platoon commander with Delta Platoon, SEAL Team ONE in January 1969. He received direct assignment to SEAL Team ONE, a separate organization from the Underwater Demolition Teams to which new personnel were normally assigned. He then received assignment to Naval Amphibious Base Coronado and subsequently completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training with class 42 in December 1967. He completed Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1967. Kerrey served in the United States Navy as a SEAL officer during the Vietnam War. Kerrey pledged Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, and during his senior year he was admitted into the Society of Innocents, the chancellor's senior honorary society of spirit boosters. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1966. He attended the public schools of Lincoln and graduated from Lincoln Northeast High School in 1961. Kerrey was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on August 27, 1943, the son of Elinor Fern (née Gonder), a University of Nebraska instructor, and James Henry Kerrey, a builder and businessman. In 1987, Kerrey was elected to the Common Cause National Governing Board. Kerrey is a co-chair for the advisory board of Issue One, an organization that describes its mission as "fighting for real solutions to the problem of money in politics". ![]() In 2013, Kerrey joined the Carmen Group lobbying firm. He lost to Republican nominee Deb Fischer. In 2012, Kerrey sought election to his old Senate seat to succeed retiring Democratic incumbent Ben Nelson. The MPAA, however, could not reach an agreement with him and chose former Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd instead. In May 2010, he was selected to become the head of the Motion Picture Association of America. From 2001 to 2010, he served as president of The New School, a university in New York City. He retired from the Senate in 2000 and was replaced by former governor and fellow Democrat Ben Nelson. Kerrey was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992. During the action for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor, he was severely wounded, precluding further naval service. Before entering politics, he served in the Vietnam War as a United States Navy SEAL officer and was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in combat. Joseph Robert Kerrey (born August 27, 1943) is an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 1989 to 2001. ![]()
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