RUSKIN, Fla. — Medal of Honor recipient and Vietnam War veteran Gary Beikrich has died, his family confirmed. He was 74 years old.
Beikrich received the award for his bravery during a firefight at a remote special forces camp on the border of Laos in Vietnam’s Kontum Province.
During the attack, the Rochester, New York-native, continuously ran into enemy fire in order to treat injured and dying soldiers. He did this until he collapsed and was evacuated from the area.
Beikrich would receive the Medal of Honor in October 1973 from former President Richard Nixon.
In a statement, Beikrich's family says he had "a great love of his wife, Lolly, daughter Stephanie and always lived 'to serve the Lord and make a difference in others’ lives.'"
10 Tampa Bay reported on Beikrich in September 2019 due to his work with Shields Middle School in Ruskin. He introduced a new program designed to show the importance of service and giving back to the community.
The program worked with teachers and lesson plans that illustrated and helped students explore and understand qualities that were associated with the Medal of Honor, like courage, sacrifice, integrity, citizenship and patriotism.