More information:

https://www.jble.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1085021/first-african-american-medal-of-honor-recipient/

https://www.historynet.com/medal-of-honor-ruppert-leon-sargent/

First Lieutenant Ruppert L. Sargent (Vietnam) is a Notable burial at https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/hampton.asp. Ruppert L. Sargent was born in Hampton, Virginia, on January 6, 1938. He attended Virginia State University and Hampton Institute before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1959; he graduated from officers training in 1965. The next year, First Lieutenant Sargent joined Company B, 9th Infantry. On March 15, 1967, Sargent was leading a platoon in the Hau Nghia Province, Republic of Vietnam, when two grenades fell into his group; he threw himself on them to protect comrades. Posthumously, Sargent became the first black officer awarded the Medal of Honor. His company, still in Vietnam, wrote to the City of Hampton with a letter that contained $230 for a wreath for Sargent's grave and funds for his widow. The City of Hampton named its administration building for him in 2002.  The Ruppert L. Sargent Building in Hampton, Virginia houses the Hampton City Schools, Commissioner of the Revenue, Treasurer, Economic Development Department and Office of the Assessor of Real Estate. A statute of Sargent rests in the building's lobby. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3219 renamed the post in honor of Medal of Honor recipient, 1st LT Ruppert Leon Sargent, in April 2019. The VFW Post 3219 renamed the post to honor his gallantry and heroism. Ruppert Leon Sargent was born in Phoebus, a small community in Hampton, Virginia and is a local hero and inspiration for all of Hampton's Veterans and VFW Auxiliary.
https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/ruppert-l-sargent.

*The preceding content is not intended as a comprehensive biography, but it highlights their significance as a result of military or civilian distinction, lasting achievements, or association with impactful national events. 



RUPPERT L SARGENT

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VIETNAM

2 MEDALS OF HONOR

SPECIALLY MERITORIOUS MEDAL

US ARMY,

1ST LT

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