On Friday, Jan. 3, Capt. Hugh Reavis Nelson Jr., Class of 1959, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Joe Biden for his extraordinary heroism during the Vietnam War. He is the first Citadel graduate to receive the nation’s highest military honor.
Nelson, a helicopter pilot, was 28 years old when he and his crew were shot down on June 5, 1966. After regaining consciousness, Nelson began evacuating his fellow soldiers from the helicopter while under enemy fire, shielding them with his own body. His efforts allowed the surviving crew members to escape, including his co-pilot, Capt. Warren Bailey Jones, Class of 1964.
“Capt. Hugh Reavis Nelson Jr. exemplified the highest values of courage, selflessness and leadership that we instill in every Citadel cadet,” said retired Marine Corps Gen. Glenn Walters, ’79, president of The Citadel. “Capt. Nelson’s service to his comrades and country remains an enduring inspiration for us all. We will continue to honor his legacy with deep gratitude and unwavering pride and are proud to acknowledge him, not only as a Citadel graduate, but now also as a Medal of Honor recipient.”
Though Nelson is the first Citadel graduate to receive the Medal of Honor, two other former cadets have earned it: Sgt. 1st Class Christopher A. Celiz, who enlisted after his sophomore year and was killed in Afghanistan in 2018 while evacuating wounded troops under fire; and Brig. Gen. John Thomas Kennedy, who transferred to the U.S. Military Academy and was later wounded while leading an assault in the Philippine-American War.