Mitchell William Stout was born in Knoxville in 1950 and attended Lenoir City High School. At age 17, he dropped out of high school, moved with his father to North Carolina, and enlisted in the United States Army. He requested to be sent to Vietnam, and during his first tour of duty from 1968 to 1969, he was wounded, promoted to sergeant, and awarded the Bronze Star.

On his second tour in 1970, Stout’s unit was part of the defenses at the Khe Gio Bridge near the Demilitarized Zone. Fog and rain on March 12, 1970, provided cover for an attack by a large group of North Vietnamese soldiers. Enemy mortar rounds forced the Americans to remain in their bunkers, while North Vietnamese infantry lobbed grenades. One landed in Stout’s bunker. He picked it up, held it close to his body, and moved toward the door, shielding his comrades from the grenade’s explosion.

In Stout’s memory, the Interstate 75 bridge over the Tennessee River in Loudon County is named the “Mitchell W. Stout Medal of Honor Memorial Bridge.”