Terry Patrick Richardson (born 7 January 1948) is a retired United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor on 2 March 2026 for his actions on 14 September 1968 during the Vietnam War.
Richardson was born on 7 January 1948 in Cass City, Michigan. The oldest of 13 children, he worked at his father's gas station and on his family's 80-acre farm growing up. From eighth grade to graduation, he played basketball, football, baseball and track. He graduated from Akron-Fairgrove School in 1966 and worked with his father and grandfather on the family farm.
Richardson was drafted and entered the United States Army in May 1967 and completed basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and was sent to Fort McClellan, Alabama, to undergo Infantry Advanced Individual Training. Shortly after, he was selected to attend Non-Commissioned Officer School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He graduated with honors and was promoted to staff sergeant on 22 January 1968. He was then assigned as a tactical non-commissioned officer at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He received orders to deploy to South Vietnam and was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division in May 1968.
He was a squad leader in 1st Platoon until his radio telephone operator was killed in action during a clearing operation on Highway 13. Richardson moved into the position of platoon leader.
During a reconnaissance mission between Lá»Âc Ninh and the Cambodian border on 14 September 1968, Richardson's unit was engaged by intense automatic weapons and small-arms fire from a well-entrenched North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) battalion. He maneuvered through a hail of hostile rounds and deployed his men into defensive positions while directing their suppressive fire. During the attack, he dragged three wounded soldiers back to safety.
With his platoon surrounded, Richardson realized the only way they would avoid being overrun was with accurate tactical air strikes. He made his way up Hill 222 () undetected to call in tactical air strikes from a shallow irrigation ditch with only rubber trees for cover. Once up the hill, he realized that the PAVN force was a large regimental base complex of the PAVN 7th Division. Speaking directly to the pilots, he began calling in the airstrikes. An hour in, he was shot in the right leg by a PAVN sniper. He continued guiding the pilots for seven more hours, calling in approximately 32 airstrikes until the PAVN retreated. His actions saved 85 lives.
Richardson was honorably discharged from active duty on 9 May 1969, and returned to Michigan. He worked in the construction and gas industry, married in 1971, and joined the Michigan National Guard in 1978 after a nine-year break in service. He became the post command sergeant major of the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center. He retired from military service on 31 January 2008.
Richardson's personal decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, Air Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge