Larry Colburn was born on July 6, 1949, in Coulee Dam, Washington. He enlist in the U.S. Army at Fort Lewis, Washington, on September 12, 1966, and completed basic training there in November 1966. Pvt Colburn served as a Clerk with the 4th Training Brigade at Fort Polk, Louisiana, from November 1966 to July 1967, and then as a Postal Clerk with Headquarters U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, from September to December 1967. His next assignment was as a Postal Clerk with Company A, 6th Support Battalion of the 11th Infantry Brigade in South Vietnam from December 1967 to January 1968, followed by service as a Postal Clerk with the 23rd Admin Company of the 23rd Infantry Division in South Vietnam from January to March 1968. SP4 Colburn was then trained as a Machine Gunner and his MOS was changed to 11B as an Infantryman. He served as a Door Gunner aboard with Company B (Aero-Scout Company) of the 123rd Aviation Battalion in South Vietnam from March to November 1968, and during this time he was part of a helicopter crew that heroically attempted to stop the massacre at My Lai, South Vietnam, on march 16, 1968. After returning to the United States, SP4 Colburn served as an Infantryman with Company B, 4th Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas, from January 1969 until he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army on September 11, 1969. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve from September 12, 1969, until September 12, 1974. For his heroism at My Lai, he was originally awarded a Bronze Star Medal for Valor, and this award was upgraded to the Soldier's Medal in 1998. Larry Colburn died on December 13, 2016.

His Soldier's Medal Citation reads:

For heroic performance on March 16, 1968, in saving the lives of at least 10 Vietnamese civilians during the unlawful massacre of noncombatants by American Forces at My Lai, Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam. Specialist Colburn was serving as a door gunner on a helicopter which landed in the line of fire between American ground troops and fleeing Vietnamese civilians to prevent their murder. Specialist Colburn, at the risk of his personal safety, provided cover for the pilot as he went forward of American lines and confronted the leader of the American forces and subsequently coaxed the Vietnamese civilians out of a bunker to enable their evacuation. Later as the helicopter was lifting off after overseeing the evacuation of the Vietnamese civilians, Specialist Colburn spotted movement in a ditch filled with bodies south of My Lai Four. The helicopter again landed and Specialisted Colburn, assisted by the crew chief, retrieved a wounded child from the pile of bodies. The child was then flown to the safety of a hospital at Quang Ngai. Specialist Colburn's efforts resulted in an order for the cease fire at My Lai and an end to the killing of innocent civilians. Specialist Four Colburn's heroism exemplified the highest standards of personal courage and ethical conduct, reflecting distinct credit on him and the United States Army.