INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) -- The surviving members of Company D of the 151st Infantry Regiment, otherwise known as the Indiana Rangers, got the recognition for their service in Vietnam some members said was long overdue.The rangers Sa turday were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and the Sagamore of the Wabash, two of the highest honors bestowed for military service and service to the state of Indiana, according to a news release."For more than 50 years, the Indiana Rangers have carried with them a legacy of courage, sacrifice and service that every Hoosier should be proud of," Gov. Mike Braun said in a statement. "These men answered our nation's call, fought with extraordinary bravery in Vietnam and came home as one of the most decorated units of the war."Company D, 151st Infantry was an Indiana National Guard unit that deployed to Vietnam at the end of 1968. It was the only National Guard combat unit to deploy as an intact guard unit the entire conflict. It was one of few National Guard units to receive ranger and airborne training, which is part of why Company D became known as the Indiana Rangers.Donnie Holland, a unit member, told Circle City Broadcasting in May that they deployed five-man teams deep in the jungle, sometimes behind enemy lines. They intercepted supplies and Viet Cong coming down the Ho Chi Minh Trail into South Vietnam.The unit's official history said its soldiers earned more than 500 individual medals during their year-long tour of duty, the highest individual medal total within a one-year period for any Army infantry. Those include 19 Silver Stars, 175 Bronze Stars and 110 Purple Hearts.The rangers had not received any recognition of the unit as a whole. That changed Saturday.We would not have been as successful as we were out in the field if we didn't have the support we had in the rear," Holland said. Those guys in the rear deserve that recognition the same as us because they helped us stay alive."Holland told Circle City Broadcasting in May that he and other surviving members were campaigning for unit recognition. They worked with Indiana Congresswoman Victoria Spartz who said in May that she was pursuing both a valorous unit award and a presidential unit citation and was working with the Pentagon to determine which was most appropriate.Saturday's presentation included remarks from Braun, Chief of the National Guard Bureau Gen. Steve Nordhaus, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Christopher LaNeve, Indiana's Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Larry Muennich and Congresswoman Spartz. ...read more read less