Students at St. Bernard Prep School in Cullman were honored to welcome Captain Gary Michael Rose, U.S. Army, Retired, who spoke on the importance of faith, perseverance, and service to one’s country.

Captain Rose, a Green Beret medic during the Vietnam War, received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Donald Trump in October 2017 for his extraordinary heroism during Operation Tailwind, a top-secret mission conducted in Laos from Sept. 11–14, 1970.

Enlisting in the Army in 1967, Rose trained as a Special Forces medic and was deployed to Southeast Asia. During Operation Tailwind, he repeatedly risked his life under heavy machine-gun fire to treat more than 60 wounded soldiers, despite being seriously injured himself. At the time, his heroism earned him the Distinguished Service Cross; however, because the mission was classified, the full extent of his actions remained unknown for decades.

After Operation Tailwind was declassified in the late 1990s, Rose’s former company commander led the effort to have his Distinguished Service Cross upgraded. Nearly half a century later, Rose was formally recognized with the nation’s highest military honor.

Rose retired as a captain in 1987, after serving for two decades in the military. Speaking to students, he emphasized the central role of faith in overcoming life’s challenges and encouraged young people to serve their communities and country with dedication and integrity.

“Faith is what sustained me then, and it continues to guide me now,” Rose told students. “Each of you has the opportunity to make a difference—whether in uniform or in everyday life.”

Students and faculty were moved by his testimony, which connected lessons of history, courage, and sacrifice to the values of Benedictine education at St. Bernard Prep.