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Integrity Critical for Medal of Honor Recipient, Bay Pines VA Veteran

A man in formal dress is poses for his portrait. Around his neck is the Medal of Honor.
Retired U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Littrell is a Medal of Honor recipient and a patient at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System. After 24 years of active duty service, the Vietnam Veteran now spends many of his days reflecting on lessons learned, as he speaks to students about the lineage of the nation’s highest award for valor. (Photo Courtesy of Congressional Medal of Honor Society)
By Medina Ayala-Lo, Public Affairs Officer

Retired U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Littrell knows all about a legacy of service. The twice deployed Vietnam Veteran served 24 years on active duty; he’s a member of the Ranger Hall of Fame, and one of the 3,517 Americans to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Littrell spends many days reflecting on lessons learned, as he speaks to students about the lineage of the nation’s highest award for valor, and his story about the four days in Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam.

However, when it comes to health care, the former senior enlisted advisor encourages other Veterans to look at today…and toward the future. 

“I think the stigma that the VA had before is in the past,” said the former president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. “I recommend every Veteran who is eligible go and request care because VA healthcare has become such an important part of the Veteran's life now.”

Following his retirement, Littrell was introduced to VA through the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, as he worked to help other Veterans access the services they earned. Littrell has spent nearly 39 years in the VA system and currently receives his primary care at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center, in Bay Pines, Fla. 

Littrell has never forgotten the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer which begins with the words No one is more professional than I. 

As a recipient of the Medal of Honor and a soldier for life, Littrell continues to serve and does so through speaking engagements.

“I speak to students about the six core values of the medal – courage, commitment, sacrifice, integrity, citizenship, and patriotism,” Littrell said. “I really zero in on integrity.”

Ten years after Littrell’s retirement, the U.S. Army adopted the Army Values – which consist of loyalty, duty respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage.

“When you look in the mirror, and you observe the person staring back at you, that's not someone who needs to be on a pedestal,” added Littrell. “That reflection is someone who needs to be on a level playing field with everyone you come into contact with.”

Read the citation about then Sgt. 1st Class Littrell’s heroic actions here.