Friends and family of George Quamo hope two more testimonials — one from a former military medic and another penned by one of his fellow special service members — will bolster the case that the Green Beret from Averill Park deserves a Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Vietnam War.

Two notarized letters — from William Harris of North Carolina and Richard Mullowney Jr. of Alaska — bring to three the supporting documents that supporters will be submitting to the Defense Department requesting that Quamo be posthumously awarded the nation's highest military honor.

The Army Major who graduated from Averill Park High School in 1958 was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for leading a dangerous helicopter mission in 1968 that rescued 14 Green Berets and dozens of others who were invaded by two North Vietnamese battalions and were pleading for help at the Lang Vei Special Forces Camp in central Vietnam.

Quamo (pronounced Cuomo) died in a plane crash on April 14, 1968.

Another letter, which is also notarized, chronicles Quamo's bravery. It was written in August 2010 by Master Sgt. Charles "Skip" Minnicks, who passed away a few years ago, said Quamo's younger brother, James Quamo, 74, during an interview Sunday.

"I feel good about what everybody has done and I feel this will push it over the top," said Quamo of suburban Rochester. "They (Harris and Mullowney) were there and the two letters were very nice and they are saying what really transpired."

The son of Albanian immigrants, Quamo grew up in a third-floor apartment in Lynn, Mass.

When he was 12 years old, the family, including five siblings, moved to Rensselaer County when his father died. He fulfilled a dream when he joined the service months after graduating from high school. Quamo never married and didn't have children.

To help their cause, Quamo and two area veterans, John Mullen and Dave Barnum, have enlisted the help of state Sen. Charles E. Schumer and are eager to share the two new letters with his office.

In his letter, dated Aug. 22, Harris lauded the then-27-year-old Quamo for his "bravery, boldness, brilliant planning, organizing, directing and total disregards for his own personal safety."

"To deny him the Medal of Honor would be an insult to all," the letter states. "He is by far beyond the world's greatest composer and conductor or a most finely-tuned symphony."

Mullowney noted in his missive for Quamo that he personally witnessed Quamo's "unflagging courage to rescue the Lang Vei camp survivors."

"Major Quamo's conspicuous gallantry in action and intrepidity ensured the swift and safe extraction of 14 American survivors and numerous indigenous forces despite constantly exposing himself to intense fire during the 45-minute mission," wrote Mullowney.

Mullen, a Rensselaer county Vietnam vet, is optimistic about their chances of getting George Quamo the Medal of Honor.

"We think this is the keys to the kingdom," he said, adding " I think this will do the trick."

pnelson@timesunion.com • 518-454-5347 • @apaulnelson