Blood drive on Saturday will honor memory of Sgt. Gary Beikirch

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The third annual blood drive to honor local Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Gary Beikirch is taking place on Saturday, Aug. 24.

The blood drive will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Northwest Family YMCA on 730 Long Pond Road. You can make an appointment online here and enter the sponsor keyword YMCAGaryB. Or you can call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). 

Beikirch, an army medic who served in Vietnam War, died of pancreatic cancer in December 2021 at the age of 74. The Greece native ran through gunfire and got hit by shrapnel while rescuing wounded soldiers during an attack on Dak Seang Camp in 1970. As Beikirch was carrying a wounded soldier for medical help, he heard an incoming rocket and threw himself on top of the soldier to save him.

News10NBC spoke with Beikirch’s friends and family at his memorial service. Lt. Colonel Doug Herrmann, also a Greece native, spoke about Beikirch’s impact after returning home from the war.

“He was devoted to reaching out to his generation of Vietnam Veterans as well as the current generation of veterans who share the struggle to heal from the physical and emotional wounds of war. He was a master at connecting with people,” Herrmann said.