The last living 4th Infantry Division recipient of the Medal of Honor claimed it was never really his.

Vietnam veteran 1st Sgt. David McNerney died in Texas in 2010 and left his Medal of Honor to troops at Fort Carson, where it now resides.

McNerney, who served in Vietnam’s Ia Drang Valley with the division’s 1st Battalion of the 8th Infantry Regiment, earned the medal on March 22, 1967, for saving the lives of dozens of his troops through a day of heroic acts.

He took on an enemy machine gun nest single-handed. He repeatedly braved enemy fire to pull wounded soldiers to safety. With bullets flying all around, he grabbed an orange panel and climbed a tree to mark his company’s position, allowing aircraft to bomb the enemy.

But McNerney, in life and in death, said the medal — the nation’s highest decoration for valor — was never really his.

The medal came home to Fort Carson’s Mountain Post Historical Center on Oct. 6, 2011, amid an elaborate ceremony.

It’s now on display at the Historical Center at Highway 115 and Nelson Boulevard. The center is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays to Fridays.

Vietnam veteran 1st Sgt. David McNerney. Photo by

This medal now resides at Fort Carson. Photo by