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Medal of Honor recipient tells teachers to push kids up, not out

 
Amy Nolan, left and Judith Turner, right, of Terrace Community Middle School in Thonotosassa, get a hug Thursday from Medal of Honor recipient Gary Littrell, who talked to a crowd of Hillsborough County public school teachers about character development. [BRE BRADHAM  |  Times]
Amy Nolan, left and Judith Turner, right, of Terrace Community Middle School in Thonotosassa, get a hug Thursday from Medal of Honor recipient Gary Littrell, who talked to a crowd of Hillsborough County public school teachers about character development. [BRE BRADHAM | Times]
Published June 21, 2018

Gary Littrell spent the first 17 years of his life in "survival mode."

Then he joined the U.S. Army — twice — and was shipped off to Vietnam.

Littrell was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor in 1973, for actions he took that saved lives.

The award honored his "extraordinary courage and selflessness" during a four-day sequence in April 1970 in which his battalion of Vietnamese soldiers was surrounded. He ultimately led 41 survivors out of 473 soldiers to safety.

Over the course of two days, Littrell has been one of two Medal of Honor recipients to meet with more than 200 Hillsborough County teachers as part of the Medal of Honor Character Development Program. In other sessions, the teachers work on exercises and ideas they can try out with their students.

The training sessions come one year ahead of Tampa hosting the 2019 Medal of Honor Convention, said Paula Meckley, director of the convention's character education and programs.

Thursday morning, Littrell spoke to a crowd of teachers in a large multipurpose room at Monroe Middle School in South Tampa about the effects a tough childhood and determination to "be somebody" had on his life.

The veteran lost his parents and brother at a young age, and seeing that pain and blood so early in life prepared him to be a soldier, he said.

"I think that helped me when I got to Vietnam the first time," Littrell said.

He decided to flee his home state of Kentucky for California at 14, and at 15 he faked paperwork to join the Army early.

Littrell had lost all interest in school, he said, and had been asked not to come back to school after breaking a chair over a kid's head in response to being hit with a rubber band.

Halfway through boot camp, the Army caught onto his age-changing ruse and kicked him out with a $10 bill and a bus ticket for Los Angeles, he told the teachers gathered Thursday.

He joined the Army legitimately at 17 and reached the rank of command sergeant major. His goal? To be "somebody."

Littrell married, and he said it was the first time in his life he remembered being hugged and told he was loved.

He retired in 1985 after more than 20 years of service, and it was time to focus on his family. He had two sons, who both served in the military, and has four grandchildren. .

Heidi Heath, a physical education teacher at Davidsen Middle School, asked Littrell how to work with students who are in "survival mode," as he was growing up.

The veteran said that he did not have an adult mentor growing up, and that he needed "a push up, not a push out. I didn't receive that," Littrell said.

He stressed the value of connecting with a student and being an anchor. Heath said she found him "inspirational and courageous."

"The thing I'm taking away is do not ever give up," she said.

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Littrell wrapped up by talking about the four days that earned him the Medal of Honor.

"It was hell," Littrell said. "There was no winner there, okay. War is hell."

The teachers gave him a standing ovation.

Bre Bradham can be reached at bbradham@tampabay.com and (803) 460-9001.