Decorated Vietnam War Vet Faces Toughest Battle

On June 4, 1971, as Jon Cavaiani was serving in the Vietnam War as a special forces officer, his platoon came under intense enemy attack. Cavaiani organized the unit's defense and, when evacuation by helicopter became necessary, he voluntarily stayed on the ground and directed the aircraft.

He successfully evacuated most of the platoon.

For Cavaiani and a small group that remained behind, the war would take a dark turn. As events took a turn for the worse, and after a major enemy attack the next morning, he ordered the remaining men to escape while he stayed and provided suppressive fire to cover their retreat.

When the position was overrun, although seriously wounded, he escaped and evaded the enemy for 11 days before eventually being captured and spening the next two years as a prisoner of war.

He was still listed as Missing in Action when his Medal of Honor was awarded. He was released on April 27, 1973.

Cavaiani served his country well. Now he needs our help. It is time we returned the favor. Cavaiani has been diagnosed with MSD, a chronic blood disease, and over the past four months, he has received many blood transfusions and chemotherapy treatments. He started his treatments at the VA Medial Center in San Francisco and the care they have provided has reportedly been outstanding.

There's more to come, unfortunately for this hero. On July 25, Cavaiani is scheduled for his first appointment to prepare for a bone marrow transplant. His associated costs continue to spiral.

Cavaiani is a distinguished hero — and he needs our help. He faces overwhelming healthcare costs as well as medical complications. A webpage on GiveForward.com has been created to help him with his costs and medical care. 

Please do whatever you can to help this worthy soldier. Everyone can help in any number of ways: Some of us are giving blood, others are contributing whatever they can by visiting the  webpage.

But please — if you cannot contribute money, consider prayers as an appropriate gesture.

Here is a video of Jon Cavaiani telling his own heroic story. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. His Medal of Honor citation page speaks volumes about his courage and loyalty to our great nation.

You can help Jon Cavaiani — Go Here Now.

Geoff Metcalf is a retired Army lieutenant colonel who commanded a special forces operational detachment. Metcalf was a nationally syndicated radio talk show host and has appeared on Hannity and Colmes, CSpan, and various radio and television stations. He is the editor of CalNews.com.