The first time Dwight Birdwell was in Hawaii was in 1968 for one hour on his way back from Vietnam. “That was an hour too long, because I wanted to get home,” said Birdwell. “Not a reflection of this paradise, but I wanted to get home.”

This week he’s in Hawaii as a guest of his old unit, the Schofield Barracks-based 3-4 Cavalry Squadron, which named a room in its headquarters in his honor. Last year President Joe Biden retroactively awarded the Medal of Honor to Birdwell for his actions during the Tet Offensive in 1968.

The military has been reviewing cases where racial discrimination may have been a factor. Birdwell, a member of the Cherokee Nation, received the retroactive award from Biden in July along with two Hawaii-­born soldiers — one of whom received the award posthumously.

Birdwell’s unit was repelling an attack on Tan Son Nhut Airbase. Several of his unit’s tanks were destroyed or otherwise disabled and his tank commander became incapacitated. Under fire, he moved the tank commander to safety and then took command. He used the tank’s cannon and machine gun and his rifle as he fought back from the tank. He relayed battlefield updates to his commanders until the enemy shot the radio off of his helmet.

Birdwell kept fighting until he ran out of ammunition. He then ditched the tank to move toward his squadron commander’s helicopter, which had been shot down, and grabbed two machine guns and ammunition, which he and another soldier used to continue fighting back. Enemy forces struck his machine gun and it exploded, wounding Birdwell in the face and torso, but he refused medical evacuation and began moving among the disabled vehicles and defensive positions to collect ammunition for the remaining defenders.

Birdwell then led a small group of soldiers past the enemy forces and began attacking them with hand grenades, stalling their assault until reinforcements arrived. Birdwell aided in evacuating the wounded until he was ordered to seek attention for his wounds. Birdwell’s squadron commander — then Lt. Col. Glenn K. Otis — told him he was recommending him for the Medal of Honor. But when the request went to 25th Infantry Division headquarters, officers balked at giving the Cherokee soldier the military’s highest recognition.

“There were some guys in there who just literally hated me and they never would process the paperwork,” said Birdwell. “Finally, the colonel was shot up in May and at that point his efforts on my behalf went nowhere … division downgraded it and said, ‘give this man a Silver Star.’”

After leaving the military Birdwell became a successful lawyer and a Judicial Appeals Tribunal of the Cherokee Nation — the equivalent of its Supreme Court — from 1987 to 1999 and served as its chief justice from 1995 to 1996 and 1998 to 1999. He is now a practicing attorney in Oklahoma City.

Otis stayed in the military, eventually becoming a four-star general and continued pushing for Birdwell to receive the award even up until his death in 2013. “Before he died, he was always planning ahead, he had a man who was the commander of one of the sister units in Vietnam who had earned five silver stars take over his efforts,” said Birdwell.

Birdwell said it was an honor to meet current members of his unit.

“I’m proud of the people that are serving today, women and men,” said Birdwell. “It’s good, it’s nice to be here, nice to have been here, and I’m very thankful for that opportunity.”