Ridgefield Resident and Medal of Honor Recipient Waits for Flyover, Thank You for Your Service Captain Bucha

Many lined Main Street a little after noon today (with masks and adhering to social distance regulations) in hopes of seeing a C-130 Jet flyover Ridgefield in honor of Memorial Day. After almost two hours, we heard from John Frey that due to technical difficulties, the flyover would not happen. "They were hoping for later, at about 3:15, but I just heard it was canceled," he reported at 2:00 pm today.

I would like to take a moment to talk about one of the Ridgefield residents who waited patiently to catch the patriotic event. His name is Paul Bucha and he is no ordinary man. Bucha is a Medal of Honor recipient - our nation’s most prestigious military decoration. 

Bucha is a graduate of both West Point and Stanford and was an all-American swimmer in high school. During Vietnam, Bucha served as the Captain, U.S. Army Company D, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.

Bucha was sent to Vietnam in 1967 as a captain and commander of the U.S. Army, Company D, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment. On March 16, 1968, he and his company of 89 men were dropped by helicopter southwest of Phuoc Vinh in Binh Duong Province. The company's lead group of about twelve men came under heavy fire and were pinned down. Bucha crawled towards them and destroyed an NVA bunker. As the NVA forces withdrew, he led a party to rescue those soldiers who had been cut off from the rest of the company. 

After his tour of Vietnam, he taught at West Point. He was a foreign policy adviser to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.

According to the U.S Army Center of Military History, the President, in the name of Congress, has awarded more than 3,400 Medals of Honor to our nation's bravest Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen since the decoration's creation in 1861.

Bucha currently is active with many groups that are encouraging America's military to seek help when adjusting to life after combat, particularly for post-traumatic stress (PTS).

HamletHub salutes Captain Bucha and all the brave men and women who put themselves in harm's way for our Country.  You've paid the price for our freedom.

To learn more about Medal of Honor recipients, click here.