Fifty-four of the 81 living Congressional Medal of Honor recipients are in Hawaii this week.

It's an annual gathering for these men who served their country beyond bravery.

"Just like any other soldier, all I did was my job," said retired Sgt. Robert Patterson.

Patterson, 64, was a 20 year old Army soldier in Vietnam when he was credited with charging through heavy enemy fire and single-handedly destroying five North Vietnamese positions while killing eight of the enemy.

"Any soldier would have done it.  It just so happened to be I was the soldier that did it," said Patterson.

He and fellow soldier James Taylor are members of an exclusive society of service members who have been awarded nation's highest military award for valor under fire.

"It’s just a great honor to be able to be recommended and nominated and to receive the medal, because I wear this great medal in honor of every man and woman that ever served this great country," said 74-year-old retired Capt. James Taylor.

Hawaii has a fair share of recipients, dating back to World War II.

But of the 3,459 medal recipients, only 81 are alive today, making this annual reunion even more special for those gifted with age.

The medal brings celebrity status, but it also comes with heavy responsibility.