They Came to Cordura

Gary Cooper   as  Maj. Thorn and Edward Platt as Col. DeRose discuss recommendations for the Congressional Medal of Honor in a horse cavalry operation against Poncho Villa in 1916 Mexico. One soldier recommended for the medal was killed in combat and Thorn wants to keep another hero out of battle until he can receive his medal. Michael Callan as Pvt. Hetherington is the soldier Thorn wants to keep out of harm's way.

Meanwhile, Thorn observes an ill-conceive cavalry charge, which succeeds only because of the extraordinary bravery and dumb luck of four other men: Lt. Fowler (Tab Hunter), Cpl. Trubee (Richard Conte), Sgt Chawk (Van Heflin) and Pvt. Renziehausen (Dick York). He recommends all of them for the Medal of Honor. But on their way to a base camp in a town called Cordura the heroes encounter obstacles that test the meaning of courage in ways none of them could have anticipated. Callan, Heflin and York all JFK ties to November 22. Callan was born on November 22. Oswald was captured on November 22 in the Texas Theater where Van Heflin starred in a movie on the theater marquee (Cry of Battle). York starred with Elizabeth Montgomery in Bewitched. The pilot episode for the movie was slated to air on November 22, 1963 but was postponed because of the assassination of President Kennedy.