WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Nearly 40 years after members of a U.S. cavalry unit put their lives in peril to save 100 fellow soldiers trapped under blistering enemy fire in Vietnam , they received the Presidential Unit Citation on Tuesday . Veterans watch Tuesday 's ceremony , which recognized members of a U.S. cavalry unit . It 's an honor their captain says is long overdue . President Obama awarded the citation for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry to 86 members of the Army 's Troop A , First Squadron , 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment . `` These soldiers defined the meaning of bravery and heroism , '' Obama said at a White House reception honoring the group 's heroics . `` It 's never too late . You can never say it enough . ... We honor your service , and America is forever grateful . '' On March 26 , 1970 , the 120-member Troop A volunteered to rescue an American infantry company surrounded by an overwhelming enemy force at a site on the Cambodian border called the Dog 's Face . The enemy had survived hours of aerial and artillery bombardment and was expected to kill or capture the 100 American infantrymen in Company C within hours . The Americans were running out of ammunition and could not move because of heavy casualties . There were no available landing zones for medical and rescue helicopters to touch down . Alpha Troop heard of their plight on a radio and rode in with an infantry company to rescue their comrades . `` Troop A skillfully penetrated four kilometers of nearly impassable jungle terrain and unhesitatingly mounted a fierce assault directly into the heavily fortified North Vietnamese army position , '' the presidential proclamation states . When the battle was over , more than 70 Americans lay dead or wounded . For retired Capt . John Poindexter , who led the rescue , the award is for all Vietnam veterans , many of whom came home to an unwelcome and sometimes hostile reception . `` The veterans of Alpha Troop feel very strongly that we stand in the stead of all veterans of the war of Vietnam , '' Poindexter told CNN before the ceremony . `` The fact is that we 're being singled out for a very distinct honor , a very rare one , but it is our conviction that on any day in any other jungle in Vietnam , nearly every Vietnam veteran would have been willing to assume the task that we assumed on March 26 , 1970 , when we earned the Presidential Unit Citation . '' Poindexter had been trying to gain recognition for his men for the past seven years . Initially , he felt deep disappointment . In 2003 , he discovered that the men he had recommended for decorations for their valor had not received those citations . Eventually , 14 men received individual decorations . That was not enough . `` My role in obtaining the PUC [ Presidential Unit Citation ] -- or in helping to obtain the PUC -- among the 200 persons who were involved in this matter over a seven-year period , was to be in the unhappy position of discovering that the men who I had recommended for decorations had not been recommended , had not been awarded those decorations , '' the retired captain said . `` The result of that was that we got 14 men decorated for their valor , but 14 men out of more than 120 who were engaged in the battle on that fateful day were only a pittance , only a minority , of those who might have been honored . Only a unit citation could honor all equally and impartially , and it was that task we set ourselves on nearly seven years ago. `` He believes lack of popular support for the war had much to do with it taking so long for Alpha Troop to be recognized . `` There 's little question in our minds that the unpopularity of the war in Vietnam is a major contributing factor to the reception these men received when they returned to the United States and a major factor , in my opinion , in the silence that most of them have assumed since then , '' Poindexter said . `` Why talk about something that most people do n't have a very high opinion of in all likelihood ? And if that is n't true , nevertheless , it 's what most of these men think . They were engaged in an unpopular venture that has bedeviled them for much of their adult lives . '' Now , the circle has been closed . `` It 's a very elevating experience to see the men that I have not seen for 40 years since War Zone C in Vietnam , '' the former captain said . `` These are persons who have had success in life , and some have not had a lot of success in life , and to see how they 've turned out , how they look these days , and to know I 'll be with them in the White House [ Tuesday ] is a very fulfilling sensation for me . `` For me , the sensation of being honored is one of having closed an important chapter on my life in a very fruitful and rewarding way . '' The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to armed forces units of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism against an armed enemy on or after December 7 , 1941 . The unit must display such gallantry , determination and esprit de corps under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions so as to set it apart from and above other units participating in the same campaign .
86 in Army 's Troop A , First Squadron , 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment recognized . Score: 6 Leader of 1970 rescue says award is for all Vietnam veterans . Presidential Unit Citation recognizes extraordinary heroism against armed enemy .