Legislation approved last year officially named Ohio 725 between South Union Road and Soldier Home Road in Montgomery County as “the Sgt. Gary Lee McKiddy Memorial Highway.”
Skaggs, lone survivor of that 1970 helicopter crash, was present at Saturday’s dedication ceremony, which was held at Riverfront Park. He reflected on his friendship with McKiddy and their time together in the Army, sharing a story about his and McKiddy’s first experience in the jungles of Vietnam.
“We volunteered for a one-day patrol and hacked our way through this jungle, and came into a village at the end of the mission. When we arrived, all of these little kids came running toward us,” Skaggs said, noting his apprehension of the encounter after having heard cautionary tales of village children being equipped with grenades. “I didn’t want to take any chances; I locked and loaded. Gary walks in, lays his weapon down, gets down on his knees and these kids swarm right over him, laughing. He’s rolling around on the ground giggling and tickling these kids.
“That’s the kind of person he was,” Skaggs said.
Skaggs also reminisced on the fateful event that changed the course of his life forever. On May 5, 1970, the night before the helicopter crash, Skaggs said McKiddy was apprehensive and nervous about the mission, something he’d never before witnessed of his friend.
“I’ve never seen him like this. He said, ‘I don’t feel good about this one, Jim ... I don’t want you to go.’” Skaggs recalled. “I said, ‘Gary, if you’re going, I’m going.’ You see, we had formed a soldier’s pact; you never leave your buddies behind. Never.”
While on the May 6 mission, the helicopter carrying Skaggs, McKiddy, and its pilot was shot down. Skaggs recalls learning that he was the sole survivor. “I began to cry uncontrollably,” he said. “I felt like I had broken the soldier’s pact; I had left my guys.”
Skaggs later learned McKiddy rescued him from the burning helicopter, placing him on the ground nearby before returning into the flames in a thwarted effort to save the pilot.
“I owe my life to what Gary McKiddy did that day,” Skaggs said.
Rick McKiddy, one of Gary’s brothers, said his late father, a World War II veteran who died in 2016, tried for decades to get his son the Medal of Honor recognition. Numerous unsuccessful attempts have been made by U.S. senators and congressmen to have the Medal of Honor issued, McKiddy said.
The family, along with Skaggs, is still pursuing the Medal of Honor for McKiddy and telling his story.
Postcards distributed Saturday include a plea for the public to contact the White House and voice their support for McKiddy to receive the Medal of Honor. Those who wish to help may call the White House at 202-456-1414 to leave a comment, send an email to President Biden at president@whitehouse.gov or tweet the president at @potus with the hashtag #honorgarymckiddy.
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