DOB/DOD: August 1, 1943 (Washington, DC) – July 31, 2024 (West Haven, CT); 81 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Carolyn Maynard (1944-) on June 17, 1967 in Los Angeles, California. Married Cynthia “Chintz” Bell-Bucha.
CHILDREN: One son, Jason (1970-). Three daughters, Heather (1971-), Lindsay (1979-), and Rebecca (1980-).
FAMILY: Born to Paul A. [Colonel, U.S. Army] (1913-1986) and Mary Sikora Bucha (1914-2004). Three sisters, Maryanne P. Bucha Hertzer (1943-), Judith K. Bucha Shelton (1948-), and Sandra L. Bucha Kerscher Rudolph (1954-).
Photos courtesy of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society
MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS DURING: Vietnam War
BRANCH OF SERVICE: Army
UNIT: Company D, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 101st Infantry Regiment
GENERAL ORDERS: Department of the Army, General Orders No. 30 (June 5, 1970)
AGE ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT: 24
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Captain Paul William Bucha, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company D, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, in action against enemy aggressor forces in Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam, from 16 to 19 March 1968. Captain Bucha distinguished himself while serving as Commanding Officer of Company D on a reconnaissance-in-force mission against enemy forces near Phuoc Vinh, and the company was inserted by helicopter into the suspected enemy stronghold to locate and destroy the enemy. During this period, Captain Bucha aggressively and courageously led his men in the destruction of enemy fortifications and base areas and eliminated scattered resistance impeding the advance of the company. On 18 March, while advancing to contact, the lead elements of the company became engaged by the heavy automatic weapon, heavy machinegun, rocket-propelled grenade, Claymore mine, and small-arms fire of an estimated battalion-size force. Captain Bucha, with complete disregard for his safety, moved to the threatened area to direct the defense and ordered reinforcements to the aid of the lead element. Seeing that his men were pinned down by heavy machinegun fire from a concealed bunker located some 40 meters to the front of the positions, Captain Bucha crawled through the hail of fire to single-handedly destroy the bunker with grenades. During this heroic action, Captain Bucha received a painful shrapnel wound. Returning to the perimeter, he observed that his unit could not hold its positions and repel the human wave assaults launched by the determined enemy. Captain Bucha ordered the withdrawal of the unit elements and covered the withdrawal to positions of a company perimeter from which he could direct fire upon the charging enemy. When one friendly element retrieving casualties was ambushed and cut off from the perimeter, Captain Bucha ordered them to feign death, and he directed artillery fire around them. During the night, Captain Bucha moved throughout the position, distributing ammunition, providing encouragement, and ensuring the integrity of the defense. He directed artillery, helicopter gunship, and Air Force gunship fire on the enemy strong points and attacking forces, marking the positions with smoke grenades. Using flashlights in complete view of enemy snipers, he directed the medical evacuation of three air-ambulance loads of seriously wounded personnel and the helicopter supply of his company. At daybreak, Captain Bucha led a rescue party to recover the dead and wounded members of the ambushed element. During the period of intensive combat, Captain Bucha, by his extraordinary heroism, inspirational example, outstanding leadership, and professional competence, led his company in the decimation of a superior enemy force, which left 156 dead on the battlefield. His bravery and gallantry at the risk of his life are in the highest traditions of the military service, Captain Bucha has reflected great credit on himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Presentation Date and Details: May 14, 1970, The White House, presented by President Richard M. Nixon.
From the Standard Star in New Rochelle, New York, November 9, 1986. The article was written by Virginia Satkowski.
Paul Bucha, West Point graduate and Medal of Honor recipient, recently spoke in Katonah on behalf of a Westchester Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial to be built in Somers.
“Each man who fought knows what he did. For those who didn’t, it’s important that they understand,” he said. Bucha, 43, and a Lewisboro resident, has traveled far beyond Vietnam. But the memory of one night in 1968 is still strong.
With 1,500 North Vietnamese troops surrounding his company of 89 soldiers, Bucha was thinking, “What a hell of a place to die.” He and his men were able to fool the enemy into thinking they were a stronger force by building an unorthodox perimeter with the wounded in the center. The men fired grenades randomly, shooting at any noise. When dawn came, the enemy had retreated. For his efforts to protect his men, Bucha received the Medal of Honor.
His brush with danger didn’t end in Vietnam, though. After the war, he worked for Electronic Data Systems Corp. in Iran, where in 1978, he narrowly escaped being arrested.
“When the Shah was being pushed out, the left-wing Arab group was anti-high technology and the nouveau-culture the Shah had brought in. This signaled problems for anyone who had done any business with the military, particularly in the high-tech area.” Bucha says. Since EDS was computerizing Iranian social security records at the time, it was a prime target.
The story of Bucha’s near arrest and EDS Chief Ross Perot’s scheme to free two other employees has been told in the book On Wings of Eagles. But Bucha, married and the father of four children, says he thinks the Iranians were portrayed inaccurately by U.S. politicians and the press.
He’s gone on to form Paul W. Bucha & Co. and is president and CEO of Port Liberte Partners, a Jersey City, N.J.-based development company planning the $750 million Port Liberte condominium and commercial complex for Jersey City.
This Veterans Day finds him far from the international hot spots, but he still thinks about their implications. While Bucha believes the soldiers who fought in Vietnam served their country well, he also believes those who fought must know why they were sent. “Unless you know why, it’s not fair to send them,” he says.
From The Hudson Valley Times (online) August 26, 2024
Captain Paul William “Buddy” Bucha passed away on July 31, 2024. He was a man of many accomplishments and accolades. Beloved father, husband, brother, friend, Gold Medallion Inductee of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Lindy Champion of St. Louis, named alongside Elvis Presley as one of the Ten Most Outstanding Young Men in America by the Jaycees, two-time All-American Swimmer, West Point graduate, Stanford MBA, Army Airborne Ranger, member of the Ranger Hall of Fame, and recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. He is survived by his wife, Cynthia “Chintz” Bell-Bucha, and sisters Maryanne Hertzer (Norman), Judy Shelton (Steve), and Sandra.
Bucha Kerscher (John), his four children Jason, Heather, Lindsay, and Becky, with his first wife Carolyn Maynard Bucha, and nine grandchildren.
Paul Bucha was born in Washington, D.C., on August 1st, 1943, to his parents, Mary and Paul, a colonel in the U.S. Army. He spent his childhood in Germany, Japan, Indiana, and St. Louis, graduating from Ladue Hortons Watkins High School in 1961. Paul received several scholarships for both academics and athletics but instead decided to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. At his first Yale Army swim meet, he realized that he had forgotten to let Yale know he would not be attending. He supposed they had figured it out, and he went on to be a two-time All-American and captain of the swim team at West Point. After graduating number two in Military Order of Merit in 1965, Paul attended Stanford University, where he received an MBA and attended Airborne and Ranger schools before reporting to Fort Campbell and then to Vietnam in 1967.
Paul Bucha exemplified courage both in action and compassion. On March 18th, 1968, Paul directed the men of Delta Company in the defeat of a vastly superior enemy force. Upon returning home, Paul was informed that he was to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Paul, a man of exceeding humility, knew that he would not have survived without the courage and competence of the men he commanded. He accepted the medal on behalf of Delta Company and always acknowledged that when he wore it, he did so for them all. Paul always denied that he had “won” the honor, insisting that it was a medal he had received, and never forgot the ten men that were lost in that battle. He thought of them every day.
In his years following Vietnam, Paul impacted countless lives as he lectured on leadership to heads of all branches of the U.S. military, as well as students, educators, and business leaders at Harvard and Yale, to incoming West Point cadets, and graduates of all four service academies, on his five pillars of leadership: Honor, Integrity, Competence, Confidence, and Humility. Paul approached everyone as an equal, and his eagerness to listen to the concerns of others to offer guidance, assistance, or friendship was inherent to his character. He advocated before the United States Senate for fair and compassionate acknowledgment of the contributions made by immigrants in our armed forces, for which he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1994. Paul argued on behalf of racial equality, using his platform to urge people to open their hearts to the concerns of others. He asserted that those calling for racial justice should be thanked for speaking out so that together, we can work towards a better future. After having the courage to treat his own post-traumatic stress through counseling, Paul spoke publicly about his struggle in an effort to normalize the conversation around trauma for all who served in our armed forces. Paul was a member of the foreign policy panel during the first Obama Presidential campaign and traveled with Michelle Obama as she spoke to military families. It was Paul’s compassion and dedication that convinced Mrs. Obama to focus her work as First Lady on aiding military families.
After Vietnam, Paul turned down an offer to attend Harvard Law school when he was recruited by Ross Perot to launch EDS abroad in 1975. He and his family lived in Tehran until the Iranian Revolution in 1979, when he was sent to Paris, France. There, Paul worked in coordination with the United States government towards securing the release of EDS employees held hostage during the revolution. He was a real estate developer, corporate consultant, member of the board of the Fisher House Foundation and Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, and a powerful advocate and voice for the servicemen and women of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.
Paul enjoyed skiing at Sugarloaf in the mountains of Western Maine, diving the reefs of the smaller islands of the Bahamas, and riding his namesake thoroughbred horse “Buddy” with Chintz. He traveled the world with friends and family, loved a passionate debate, chocolate milkshakes, and John Denver.
Paul ultimately accepted his opportunity to attend Yale. With the assistance of the West Haven VA, who took excellent care of Paul in his time of need, his brain was donated to the Center for Human Brain Discovery at Yale University. This was both an expression of his appreciation to Yale New Haven Hospital for the care they took in treating his youngest daughter’s breast cancer and a hope that someday, the possibility of a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease will be but a distant memory.
Services will be held in January 2025 at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Memorial donations may be made to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.
Buried in West Point Cemetery, 329 Washington Road, West Point, New York. Photo courtesy of FindAGrave.com and contributor BlueLadyBug73.
END