As our national anthem says, the United States of America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. As Americans we never tire of sharing those stories of fearless bravery which have provided us with freedom and protected our liberties for almost 250 years, especially against foreign oppressors. As we enter into the Memorial Day weekend, one of those stories I have read of valiant bravery has finally come to a peaceful end. It is the story of Marine Corps sergeant, John Lee Canley.

John Lee Canley was born on December 20, 1937 in Caledonia, Arkansas. He was only 15 years old when he got the urge to become a soldier. Because he was too young, he used his older brother’s papers to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. The plan worked. After boot camp Canley served in South Korea and Japan before getting shipped off to the war in Vietnam.

On January 30, 1968 the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese People’s Army of Vietnam launched the Tet Offensive. The Tet Offensive consisted of surprise attacks on more than 100 cities and towns countrywide on the day of the Vietnamese lunar new year. The strategy was to spread out U.S. air and sea defenses, essentially rendering them useless and ineffective. It was a brilliant plan, save for the valor and effectiveness of U.S. ground forces.

The very next day John Lee Canley along with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines was loaded onto a truck and sent to reinforce soldiers under siege in Hue City. On the way, the convoy came under a barrage of enemy sniper fire. In one town the troops were forced to dismount and clear the houses on both sides of the main street through heavy house-to-house combat. During the street fighting company commander, Captain Gordon Batcheller, was wounded and could no longer lead his troops in battle.

Together with sergeant Alfredo Cantu Gonzales, sergeant John Lee Canley, assumed command of Alpha company. The fighting intensified again in the afternoon. Despite being wounded Canley crossed fire-swept terrain several times to carry his own wounded Marines to safety. Finally, at 3:15 p.m. they reached their destination, the compound at the Military Assistance Command Vietnam in Hue City.

One month later, on February 6, 1968, during the Battle of Hue City Canley’s unit came under intense fire at a hospital compound. Canley’s men would later testify about how they saw sergeant Canley scale a wall in full view of the enemy twice in order to carry wounded Marines to safety.

The Battle of Hue City continued for almost another month until Allied forces finally drove out the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese People’s Army of Vietnam on March 2, 1968. In the end the Allies lost 668 men in the battle while another 3,707 were wounded.

John Lee Canley was initially awarded the Navy Cross for his acts of valor at the Battle of Hue City; however, at a White House ceremony on October 17, 2018 President Donald Trump upgraded the award by issuing him the Marine’s Medal of Honor. Canley did not get very many opportunities to display that award around his neck because cancer took him earlier this month. On May 11, 2022 Sergeant Major John Lee Canley (retired) died at his daughter’s home in Bend, Oregon.

I share the story of Sergeant John Lee Canley with you today in hopes that you might gain better appreciation for the tremendous cost that our men and women in uniform have paid to secure our freedoms. Many of these stories never get told, yet many of those who have gone to battle for us have displayed unspeakable courage and unfathomable fearlessness in the face of the enemy. So, let us honor them this year by telling their stories and remembering the sacrifices they have made for the cause of liberty. Remember that all gave some, but some gave all.