He distributed ammunition and directed artillery fire while moving throughout the position and also led the evacuation of wounded soldiers using a flashlight.

Bucha was presented the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon in 1970. In 2007, Bucha said, “The medal that I wear, I wear on behalf of others, not myself.”

Bucha served with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division.

According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, “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.

“Capt. 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 machine-gun fire from a concealed bunker located some 40 meters to the front of the positions, Capt. Bucha crawled through the hail of fire to singlehandedly destroy the bunker with grenades,” the group’s citation states.

Bucha was one of the organizers of a Hall of Honor museum in New York that he said was created to show how ordinary people can perform in extraordinary ways when called upon by circumstances.

He said the museum was not meant to glorify winners or heroes, but to underscore that Medal of Honor recipients come from all walks of life.

In 1990, Bucha shared an NCAA awards stage with President Ronald Reagan, receiving silver anniversary collegiate athletic awards. Bucha got his as a former Military Academy swimmer.

Bucha graduated 18th in his West Point class in 1965. It was there that he achieved all-American status twice as part of the Swim and Diving team. He captained the team during his senior year.

Bucha left the Army in 1972 and went into business while working to support veteran support organizations.

He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1993. He served as a foreign policy adviser for President Barack Obama‘s 2008 campaign.