GAIL DRAKE: Son of Georgia honored as a Green Beret hero

“The righteous are as bold as a lion” – Proverbs 28:1

He has been described as “the epitome of a Green Beret who endlessly pursued excellence.” William Bryant is a son of Georgia, born in Cochran on Feb. 16, 1933. He spent his early years in the segregated South, an African-American boy playing in the red clay of Georgia.

When Bryant’s parents divorced, he moved to live with his uncle in the bustling city of Newark, N.J., where he graduated from Newark Vocational and Technical High School. He moved to live with family in Detroit, and at age 20, William enlisted into the U.S. Army on March 16, 1953.

He trained extensively in several military schools but most often courses at Fort Bragg, N.C.: Jumpmaster, Airborne and Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer Course. But the Green Berets captured his soul. He found his calling in the Special Forces, where “race, color or creed did not matter.”

By 1968, Bryant had married his sweetheart, and the couple had two sons. He also was promoted to Sergeant First Class and deployed to the conflict in Vietnam. He commanded a combined force of Vietnamese soldiers and American Special Forces in Long Khanh Province, Vietnam.

On March 24, 1969, Bryant and his men came under attack from three different directions. This firestorm would continue for 34 hours. Bryant moved around throughout the unrelenting gunfire, fortifying a defensive perimeter. He directed fire during crucial phases of the attack, provided ammunition, and tended to the wounded.

A helicopter arrived to deliver much-needed ammunition but dropped and scattered the boxes. Bryant personally darted out, through heavy gunfire, to retrieve the boxes and distribute ammunition and supplies to the soldiers.

During a lull in the gunfire, Bryant led a patrol to scout out enemy positions. Within minutes, the patrol was pinned down under intense automatic weapons fire. Byrant surged forward, alone, to fight off an enemy assailant. His heroic act inspired his comrades to fight off more attacks.

Peering into the jungle, Bryant spied a wounded enemy soldier lying some distance away. He decided to retrieve the soldier to obtain intelligence information, so he crawled forward alone under heavy gunfire. The soldier had died, so he crawled all the way back – under more heavy gunfire. He reassumed command and organized another patrol for a daring attempt to break through the enemy perimeter. After advancing 200 meters, he was shot and badly wounded. But he was not done.

He called for helicopter gunship support and directed heavy fire on enemy positions. He then charged an enemy position, overcoming three soldiers. He was regrouping for another attack when he was hit by an enemy rocket. He fell, mortally wounded.

Bryant was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously on Feb. 16, 1971. President Richard Nixon presented the award at the White House to Bryant’s widow and two very young sons, Gregory and Kelvin. The citation reads as follows:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty, SFC Bryant, assigned to Company A, distinguished himself while serving as commanding officer of Civilian Irregular Defense Group Company 321, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Mobile Strike Force Command, during combat operations. The battalion came under heavy fire and became surrounded. … SFC Bryant’s selfless concern for his comrades, at the cost of his life above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the U.S. Army.”

Bryant Hall at Fort Bragg’s JFK Special Warfare Center and School is named for this courageous Green Beret. On Feb. 16, 2021, on the 50th anniversary of the award, his sons Gregory and Kelvin and their wives gathered at Fort Bragg for the re-opening of Bryant Gallery. The gallery features his Medal of Honor. The “medal needs to be in a place where people can really appreciate it,” said Gregory, “and a wall in my mancave is probably not the place.”

His name is listed on The Wall: Panel 28W, Line 24: William Maud Bryant: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army; Medal of Honor, Bronze Staff, Purple Heart (3), Good Conduct Medal.

An American hero. Lest we forget.

Gail Drake practices probate, adoption, mediation and children’s law in Albany. She is a frequent contributor to The Albany Herald.