At age 17, Mitchell Stout dropped out of Lenoir City High School in North Carolina and enlisted in the Army. He successfully completed paratrooper school and received his wings before the Army discharged him after discovering his real age.
At that point, he had already turned 18, and he re-enlisted.
After basic training, Stout served a year in Germany and requested a tour in Vietnam. Wounded by shrapnel during from mortar round in 1969, he was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star at 19.
At 20, Stout volunteered for a second tour of Vietnam. While guarding a demilitarized zone in Quang Tri Province, 400 North Vietnamese troops attacked the camp. Stout, trapped in a bunker, directed his men’s fire.
When a grenade landed at his feet, Stout took it and ran out of the bunker as it exploded, saving four other men.