For years, when people asked Medal of Honor recipient Allen Lynch “what were you thinking?” his answer was “nothing.” But during a visit to Hutchinson Wednesday, he told Hutchinson Middle School students there was much more to the truth.

The 73-year-old Illinois native was serving in the Army as a specialist in Company D, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division near My An in the Binh Dinh Province of Vietnam during the Vietnam war in 1967. He and his platoon were on their way to relieve Company A, which was under attack.