Mitchell W. Stout

Mitchell William Stout
Army Medal of Honor
Born	(1950-02-24)February 24, 1950 Knoxville, Tennessee
Died	March 12, 1970(1970-03-12) (aged 20) Firebase Khe Gio, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam
Place of burial	Virtue Cemetery, Concord, Tennessee
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1967 - 1970
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	44th Artillery Regiment
Battles/wars	Vietnam War †
Awards	Medal of Honor Bronze Star Purple Heart

Mitchell William Stout (February 24, 1950 – March 12, 1970) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.

Biography[]

Stout joined the Army from Raleigh, North Carolina in August 1967.^[1] By March 12, 1970 was serving as a Sergeant in Battery C, 1st Battalion, 44th Artillery Regiment. On that day, at Khe Gio Bridge in the Republic of Vietnam, Stout picked up an enemy-thrown grenade and used his body to shield his comrades at the expense of his own life.

Stout, aged 20 at his death, was buried in Virtue Cemetery, Concord, Tennessee.

Medal of Honor citation[]

Sergeant Stout's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Sgt. Stout distinguished himself during an attack by a North Vietnamese Army Sapper company on his unit's firing position at Khe Gio Bridge. Sgt. Stout was in a bunker with members of a searchlight crew when the position came under heavy enemy mortar fire and ground attack. When the intensity of the mortar attack subsided, an enemy grenade was thrown into the bunker. Displaying great courage, Sgt. Stout ran to the grenade, picked it up, and started out of the bunker. As he reached the door, the grenade exploded. By holding the grenade close to his body and shielding its blast, he protected his fellow soldiers in the bunker from further injury or death. Sgt. Stout's conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action, at the cost of his own life, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the U.S. Army.^[2]

Other[]

The gym on main post Fort Bliss is named in his honor.^[3]

SGT Stout is the only US Army Air Defense Artillerymen to earn the Medal of Honor.^[4]

See also[]

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War

Notes[]

References[]

• "Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. October 3, 2003. Retrieved 2007-06-12.