David Paul Nash was "a typical country boy who loved to fish and hunt, was not afraid of hard work, and raised a tobacco crop with his older brother ... was a member of St. Mary's of the Woods Catholic Church, where he was an altar boy ... after schooling at St. Mary's High School, was drafted into the United States Army and ... had no second thoughts about serving his country in Vietnam; he expressed to friends and family that it was the right thing to do ...".

On that day, in Giao Duc District, Dinh Tuong Province, Republic of Vietnam, Nash smothered the blast of an enemy-thrown grenade with his body, sacrificing his life to protect his fellow soldiers.

Private Nash's official Medal of Honor citation reads: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.

Nash suppressed the hostile fusillade with a rapid series of rounds from his grenade launcher, enabling artillery fire to be adjusted on the enemy.

After the foe had been routed, his small element continued to the ambush site where he established a position with 3 fellow soldiers on a narrow dike.