Former U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Kenneth A. Altazan got his Silver Star upgraded to a Navy Cross recently after new evidence emerged on his heroic actions as a CH-46 crew chief on a rescue mission in Vietnam forty-six years ago.
![altazan-k02[1]](http://alert5.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/altazan-k021.jpg)
Source: HMM364.org
During that mission on May 9, 1969, Altazan twice left the safety of his helicopter to help wounded Marines. During the second rescue, he was suffering from severe pain due to a knee injury inflicted during an earlier pickup.
He earned the Silver Star for jumping into the line of fire during the first rescue, the fact that he went out again to evacuate the wounded was not taken into consideration as the evidence was somehow omitted. New evidence from a pilot flying overhead at that time surfaced six years ago and the Pentagon green light the upgrade last week.
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