John L. Canley, a retired Marine sergeant major and Medal of Honor recipient, has died at age 84. Canley earned the nation’s highest military decoration for valor 50 years after his heroism during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam.

In January 1968, during the battle for Hue, Canley took command after his officer was wounded. Leading mostly 18- and 19-year-old Marines, he guided them through a week of fierce fighting—braving enemy fire to carry wounded men to safety. Fellow Marine John Ligato remembered him as “a leader of Marines” who kept his troops alive.

Earning the Medal of Honor

Canley’s actions included charging enemy positions with grenades and scaling walls under fire to rescue the wounded. For decades, he wore the Navy Cross, the Marine Corps’ second-highest honor, awarded in 1970. But after a long campaign by fellow veterans, Congress waived the time limit, and in 2018 he became the first living Black Marine to receive the Medal of Honor.

President Donald Trump, presenting the medal, credited him with personally saving more than 20 Marines, saying, “In one harrowing engagement after another, John risked his own life to save the lives of those under his command.”

Beyond the Battlefield

Canley joined the Marines at just 15, inspired by the film Sands of Iwo Jima. Standing 6-foot-4, he was known as a calm, soft-spoken leader who fiercely protected his troops. After retiring in 1981, he ran an import business in California and stayed in remarkable physical shape—impressing even the president with his fitness.

Remembering His Legacy

To Canley, the Medal of Honor was never just about him. “It’s about the Marines who didn’t get the appropriate recognition when we got home,” he said in 2018.

He is survived by his children, stepchildren, siblings, and grandchildren. The Marine Corps’ top enlisted leader, Sgt. Maj. Troy E. Black, called him “a leader and a warfighter who undoubtedly contributed to the battles won in Vietnam.”

John Canley’s life stands as a testament to courage, humility, and the enduring bond between a leader and his Marines.

Watch more of his life story here:

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