Texoma students meet with Medal of Honor recipients

As part of the Medal of Honor week, the 17 Medal of Honor recipients visited with students across Gainesville schools Thursday morning.

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration and only a handful have received the award, like Captain Gary Rose.

He was a medic in the Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War and was part of a classified mission titled "Operation Tailwind". A mission that took place in northern Cambodia, Southern Laos in September 1970.

"Right from the get-go, it didn't go well for us," recalled Rose. "We were in constant night and day contact with the enemy."

Outnumbered by the enemy and over the course of four days, Rose put himself in the line of fire to save sixty to seventy people.

"Through grazing machine gun and fire, pick them, treat them, pick them back up and run 50 yards back to cover," Rose said.

Almost 47 years after his heroic act, Rose received the elite award from President Trump last October.

"It's really it's for the men I fought with on Tailwind and a larger sense of it, the special forces group," Rose said about receiving the Medal.

"It's a one in a lifetime and it's a great opportunity because it shows you that people need to start taking action and a lot of people need to do that," said Gainesville senior Sandra Delgado.

Gainesville students listened to their war stories and were given advice by some of America's bravest soldiers.

"And that's where you fight those battles here," said one Medal of Honor recipient pointing towards his heart. "Regardless of what's going on out here," the recipient then pointing in other directions.

"No matter how many times you fail, you need to get up and trying and do your best," said senior Madelyn Bean, describing what she learned from the soldiers.

"And that's what you should be shooting for," Rose said. "Doing things that do no harm and in most cases improve your surroundings."

The Medal of Honor week will continue for the next few days, including a parade on Saturday.