Clenching a bomb detonator between his teeth, Colonel John W. Ripley swung across the underside of the Dong Ha Bridge in South Vietnam. For three hours, Col Ripley attached explosives with one hand while gripping the bridge with the other.

Ripley returned to shore and destroyed the bridge. His action protected his Marines and held off 20,000 North Vietnamese forces prepared to invade the Quang Tri Province—the center for American bases during the Vietnam War.

Ripley’s heroic actions that night, and his courage to put his Marines first, earned him the Navy Cross.