Retired wrestling coach, official to receive Medal of Honor
By Mark Palmer
Senior Writer
Intermat
A former high school wrestling coach and referee who once took to the mats at Michigan's Olivet College has been selected to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest personal military award for valor.
James C. McCloughan, 71, of South Haven, Mich. will be presented with the Medal of Honor by President Donald J. Trump in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on July 31.
McCloughan is not the first former wrestler to receive the Medal of Honor. Tom Norris, who was presented with the Medal of Courage by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014, was presented with the Medal of Honor for his actions as a U.S. Navy SEAL in the ground rescue of two downed U.S. pilots in April 1972..
McCloughan was an Army medic who is credited with saving the lives of 10 members of his platoon during the Battle of Nui Yon Hill in Vietnam nearly 50 years ago.
Back in May 1969, McCloughan, then 23 years old, returned to the battlefield multiple times to retrieve wounded soldiers despite having been hit with shrapnel from a grenade and being shot in the arm.
Growing up in rural southwest Michigan, McCloughan was a four-sport athlete at Bangor High School. He then continued his academic and athletic career at Olivet College in Olivet, Mich. where he first took up wrestling. McCloughan wrestled for the Comets for four years at 130 pounds, compiling an overall record of 32-11-1. During his junior and senior seasons in 1967 and 1968, McCloughan served as team captain, won MIAA championships, and was voted Most Valuable Wrestler by his teammates.
After graduating from Olivet in 1968, McCloughan was about to start a teaching/coaching job at South Haven High School. However, that summer, McCloughan was drafted by the U.S. Army. With his college coursework in kinesiology, physiology and advanced first aid, McCloughan became an Army medic.
"I think they thought that maybe if I knew how to tape up an ankle, and had gone through those strapping classes that I'd gone through, that I might have a little bit of a heads up on some things that I was going to be facing," McCloughan said in a recent interview with the Army Times.
In that same interview, McCloughan also credited his athletic background as being vital as a medic to care for his fellow soldiers.
"I wouldn't say that I wasn't scared, because everybody's scared. But I've always said that I owe it to high school and college football and college wrestling," he said. "Those sports prepared me for the mental discipline I need in those situations, to go out and do my duty."
Read Full Story
Senior Writer
Intermat
A former high school wrestling coach and referee who once took to the mats at Michigan's Olivet College has been selected to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest personal military award for valor.
James C. McCloughan, 71, of South Haven, Mich. will be presented with the Medal of Honor by President Donald J. Trump in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on July 31.
McCloughan is not the first former wrestler to receive the Medal of Honor. Tom Norris, who was presented with the Medal of Courage by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014, was presented with the Medal of Honor for his actions as a U.S. Navy SEAL in the ground rescue of two downed U.S. pilots in April 1972..
McCloughan was an Army medic who is credited with saving the lives of 10 members of his platoon during the Battle of Nui Yon Hill in Vietnam nearly 50 years ago.
Back in May 1969, McCloughan, then 23 years old, returned to the battlefield multiple times to retrieve wounded soldiers despite having been hit with shrapnel from a grenade and being shot in the arm.
Growing up in rural southwest Michigan, McCloughan was a four-sport athlete at Bangor High School. He then continued his academic and athletic career at Olivet College in Olivet, Mich. where he first took up wrestling. McCloughan wrestled for the Comets for four years at 130 pounds, compiling an overall record of 32-11-1. During his junior and senior seasons in 1967 and 1968, McCloughan served as team captain, won MIAA championships, and was voted Most Valuable Wrestler by his teammates.
After graduating from Olivet in 1968, McCloughan was about to start a teaching/coaching job at South Haven High School. However, that summer, McCloughan was drafted by the U.S. Army. With his college coursework in kinesiology, physiology and advanced first aid, McCloughan became an Army medic.
"I think they thought that maybe if I knew how to tape up an ankle, and had gone through those strapping classes that I'd gone through, that I might have a little bit of a heads up on some things that I was going to be facing," McCloughan said in a recent interview with the Army Times.
In that same interview, McCloughan also credited his athletic background as being vital as a medic to care for his fellow soldiers.
"I wouldn't say that I wasn't scared, because everybody's scared. But I've always said that I owe it to high school and college football and college wrestling," he said. "Those sports prepared me for the mental discipline I need in those situations, to go out and do my duty."
Read Full Story
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