
A Vietnam war helicopter pilot who braved enemy machine gun fire to rescue 40 stranded soldiers from a hot landing zone will receive the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama after a change in the law.

Army Major Charles Kettles made several trips in his Bell UH-1 to rescue trapped and injured soldiers near the district of Duc Pho in May 1967.

According to his citation, Kettles flew his chopper into the hot landing zone without additional aerial support to rescue the soldiers over the course of several trips.

Army Major Charles Kettles, pictured, flew three missions to a hot landing zone on May 15, 1967 near Duc Pho in Vietnam

Major Kettles, pictured, left, shortly after returning from one of the rescue missions beside one of the badly damaged Hueys, left

On the day of the battle, Kettles' own Huey, pictured, was undergoing maintenance, but that did not stop him from going on the mission

The White House said Kettles helped save the lives of 40 soldiers.

Kettles, who is from Ypsilanti, Michigan, retired from the Army in 1978 as a lieutenant colonel and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross shortly after his rescue.

However, for the past four years, there has been a major campaign to have the award upgraded to the Medal of Honor - the highest award for bravery available to the US military.

The Army said next month's White House ceremony is the culmination of an effort that began in 2012.

William Vollano of the Veterans History Project launched a formal campaign to upgrade Kettles' Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor.

As part of that review, several men from his company and the 101st Airborne Division sent letters validating Kettles' actions.

Lawmakers also got involved. Longtime Democratic Representative. John Dingell of Michigan sent a letter to the Pentagon asking for reconsideration so that Kettles could be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Then, after Defense Secretary Ashton Carter determined that Kettles' actions merited the nation's highest military honor, Representative Debbie Dingell and Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, all of Michigan, introduced legislation waiving a time limitation for the award and paving the way for President Barack Obama to make the final decision.

Major Kettles was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by Lieutenant General LJ Lincoln in Fort Sam Houston, Texas in May 1968

During his third mission, Kettles returned to the landing zone for a fourth time, this time alone, to pick up eight stragglers

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Charles Kettles, right, stands with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, left, who campaigned for the Medal of Honor

The Army also announced that Kettles will be inducted into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes on July 19, one day after the White House ceremony.

The Army said that despite a heavily damaged helicopter, Kettles was relentless in his efforts to ensure that every soldier was extracted.

On one particular flight out of the landing zone, a machine gun sprayed the helicopter Kettles was flying, but 'Maj. Kettles coaxed the helicopter and managed to fly us back to base camp,' said Roland J. Scheck, an Army specialist who was serving as a door-gunner on Kettles' crew.

'Kettles personifies the Army's 'Warrior Ethos' - never leave any soldier behind,' said Secretary of the Army Eric K. Fanning.

According to Army records, on May 15, 1967, members of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne division were ambushed by a battalion-sized force of North Vietnamese army.

The enemy troops were equipped with automatic weapons, machine guns and recoilless rifles. The US forces were pinned down as the Vietnamese were able to move around the battle field using underground tunnels.

Major Kettles volunteered to lead a flight of six UH-1D Hueys to carry in reinforcements and evacuate the wounded.

As the helicopters approached the landing zone, the Vietnamese forces concentrated their fire on the aircraft killing several soldiers before they touched the ground.

Lt Col. Kettles (Ret), will receive the Medal of Honor at the White House and will be inducted into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes

Fast jets were called in to drop napalm and bomb the Vietnamese who quickly disappeared into their fortified underground bunkers.

Kettles remained on the ground until all the reinforcements and supplies had been unloaded and were replaced by wounded soldiers, despite the deadly incoming fire.

Once fully loaded, Kettles led his helicopters back to base.

He then returned to the battlefield with more reinforcement, where he was again targeted and strafed by machine gun fire. A fellow helicopter crew warned him he had fuel streaming from his aircraft, but Kettles decided to continue and bring the wounded men to safety.

As the battle continued, Kettles was told the infantry battalion commander needed an immediate extraction from the area. There were still 40 troops on the ground and four members of Kettles' unit who had been forced to abandon their helicopter.

Of the six aircraft which started the day, only one was still in an airworthy condition.

Major Kettles, pictured in 1969, left, and this month, right, did not consider his own safety to help rescue the stranded soldiers

Charles Kettles was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel during his second tour of duty in Vietnam in 1970, pictured

Major Kettles, left, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross with his family (in the second row) in Fort Sam Houston in Texas

Kettles jumped in behind the controls of the aircraft and volunteered to fly into the deadly landing zone for a third time. He was supported this time by five aircraft from the 161st Aviation Company.

Again he landed his aircraft under intense fire and remained on the ground until he was told all the troops were on board. Shortly after taking off, he was told eight men had been unable to reach the landing zone. So, Kettles decided to hand over leadership of the flight to another helicopter and returned to the landing zone alone, without any gunships or tactical air support.

As he approached the landing strip, he was the only target in the sky and the Vietnam forces pounded him with mortars, machine gun and small arms fire.

Despite the extreme danger, Lt. Col Kettles returned safely from Vietnam and remained in the Army until he retired in 1978

Kettles, pictured center, look command of the 121st Assault Helicopter Company during his second tour of Vietnam

One mortar struck the tail boom of the chopper and exploded, throwing shrapnel into the main rotor blade, shattering both windscreens and the chin bubble.

Ground troops also raked with with machine gun and small arms fire.

Despite being badly damaged and overloaded, Kettles coaxed the aircraft, with the remaining eight soldiers into the air and back to Duc Pho.

According to the Army: 'Despite the intense enemy fire, Kettles maintained control of the aircraft and situation, allowing time for the remaining eight Soldiers to board the aircraft. In spite of the severe damage to his helicopter, Kettles once more skillfully guided his heavily damaged aircraft to safety. Without his courageous actions and superior flying skills, the last group of Soldiers and his crew would never have made it off the battlefield.'

Just 24-hours earlier, Kettles had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for a rescue mission to airlift a six-man long-range recon team from behind enemy lines, in an area 'heavily invested' by Viet Cong - minutes before a flight of B-52s were due to carpet bomb the area.

Kettles remained in the area despite the imminent threat even though he could not talk to the approaching aircraft.

Major Charles Kettles is having his Distinguished Service Cross upgraded to the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Obama

Legislators from Michigan petitioned for a change in the law to allow for the upgrade of Major Kettles' award to the highest possible

Only 24 hours before his rescue mission, Kettles was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for another brave action