Medal of Honor Monday: Army 1st Sgt. Nicky D. Bacon

While serving in the Vietnam War, Army 1st Sgt. Nicky Daniel Bacon put his life on the line to lead multiple platoons to safety under threat of heavy enemy fire. For these selfless actions, he received the Medal of Honor. He continued to serve in the military for more than 20 years. 

Bacon was born on Nov. 25, 1945, in Caraway, Arkansas. His parents, who were cotton sharecroppers, decided to move the family to Arizona in 1951, where Bacon’s father’s parents operated their own cotton farm. After his father became sick with polio, Bacon dropped out of Peoria High School in his freshman year to work on the farm full time. 

In 1963, inspired by his uncle’s stories of World War II, Bacon decided to join the Army. Although he was only 17, he managed to bypass the age requirement by forging his mother’s signature. After a stint with the Arizona National Guard, he went on active duty and served with the 8th Infantry Division in Worms, Germany. Although he first volunteered for a Vietnam tour in 1964, it wasn’t until 1966 that he received orders to serve in the war. 

During his first tour of duty from 1966 to 1967, Bacon endured a number of hardships, including suffering three injuries in battle and being one of two survivors of a freak helicopter accident. Despite this, Bacon volunteered and served a second Vietnam tour in 1968. He was placed with the 4th Battalion of the 21st Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division.  

On Aug. 26, 1968, Bacon, now a staff sergeant, was leading a squad from 1st Platoon, Company B to their base in Tam Ky when they were suddenly attacked by an enemy bunker line. Jumping into action, Bacon mobilized his men and destroyed the North Vietnamese bunker with grenades.  

Several fellow soldiers, including the 1st Platoon leader, were wounded by an enemy machine gun nest during the fight. Bacon quickly assumed command, assaulted the enemy position and single-handedly killed its crew. 

Soon after, the 3rd Platoon leader was killed while moving to Bacon’s location. Without hesitation, Bacon took command of the 3rd Platoon, too, and advanced further on the enemy. He managed to climb onto a tank — which gave him a better vantage point — and directed his forces against the North Vietnamese soldiers. He killed four enemy soldiers and destroyed an antitank weapon. 

In the end, under the leadership of Bacon, the combined platoons were able to eliminate the enemy soldiers, as well as rescue men trapped at the front of the line and evacuate wounded men. 

He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross several weeks after the events of Tam Ky. A year later, on Nov. 24, 1969, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Richard M. Nixon during a ceremony at the White House.  

Afterward, he requested a third Vietnam tour of duty, which was denied. He went on to serve as a non-commissioned reenlistment officer at Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos), Texas; was stationed in Germany, and then worked at Fort McClellan at the training command. During this time, Bacon attained the rank of first sergeant. 

After receiving orders to go to Korea, Bacon chose to retire from the military in 1984. At the time, he was newly married with a young son, and he did not want to start the process of trying to raise a family while halfway around the world.  

Upon his military retirement, Bacon moved back to Arizona with his wife, Tamera Ann, and started working at the regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1990, he moved to Arkansas and became the director of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs. While in that position, he helped create the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery and the Arkansas Veterans Coalition.  

Bacon died on July 17, 2010, after battling cancer for several years. He was buried in Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery with full military honors. He had six children: Kristy, Kim, William, James, Wyatt and Britt. 

This article is part of a weekly series called “Medal of Honor Monday,” in which we highlight one of the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients who have received the U.S. military’s highest medal for valor.