Dwight Wayne Birdwell (born 19 January 1948) is a former United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor in 2022 for his actions in the Vietnam War in 1968 during the Tet Offensive attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base.

He received his first Silver Star for heroism on 31 January 1968, when his unit raced to defend Tan Son Nhut Air Base, which was under attack during the Tet Offensive.

[1] On the night of 4 July 1968, he again risked his life to rescue more Americans, some of them wounded, who were stranded in a battle zone in an enemy-occupied village.

5 Dwight W. Birdwell distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division, in the Republic of Vietnam on Jan. 31, 1968.

Birdwell, under heavy enemy small-arms fire, moved the tank commander to a place of safety and assumed control of the vehicle.

Realizing his tank was the first line of defense for the troop, he used its cannon, machine gun and his rifle to place effective fire on the enemy force.

When his machine gun was hit by enemy fire and exploded, resulting in wounds to his face and torso, Birdwell refused evacuation and moved amongst the disabled vehicles and defensive positions, collecting ammunition to distribute to the remaining defenders.