Vietnam veteran 1st Sgt. David Mcnerney was honored Friday at Fort Carson for taking command in a crisis and staying with his troops despite injuries from a grenade.

The 4th Infantry Division’s headquarters’ building will now bear his name, Mcnerney Hall to memorialized his actions, Command Sgt. Maj. Alexander Kupratty announced.

“He is what we all strive to be,” Kupratty said, calling Mcnerney the embodiment of the backbone of the Army.

Mcnerney received the Medal of Honor for his actions during March 1967 when his unit was attacked in Polei Doc, the official citation states. During the fight, the former 4th Infantry Division soldier was injured by a grenade, but went on to assault and destroy a machine-gun position.

He later learned his commander had been killed and took over for him. He adjusted artillery fire to fend off the North Vietnamese and then

found a place where helicopters could land.

He exposed himself to enemy fire until he was sure pilots where coming, the citation states.

He exposed himself again to collect demolition material from rucksacks so he could remove tress and make space for helicopters to land. He remained with his unit despite his injuries until the next day when another commander arrived to take over, it states.

Before joining the Army, Mcnerney served two combat tours in Korea with the Navy, according an Army news story.

In the story, his friend Rick Sauer said Mcnerney was strict and demanded the best of his soldiers.

“He was hard, but he was fair,” Sauer said. “He didn’t play favorites at all. … He never let up on them. And they didn’t like him. They really didn’t like him. It wasn’t until Vietnam that they really understood.”

Mcnerney died in 2010 of lung cancer.

He was selected for the honor from among many soldiers, Kupratty said, during a week to dedicated to the 4th Infantry Division’s history and culture. Saturday marks the division’s 106th birthday.

A plaque with the new name of the building probably will be unveiled in the spring, he said.