Harold Arthur "Hal" Fritz (born February 21, 1944) is a retired
United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the
Medal of Honor, for his actions during the
Vietnam War.
Military career
After earning a degree in elementary education from the
University of Tampa, Fritz joined the
United States Army from
Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1966. By January 11, 1969, he was serving as a
first lieutenant in Troop A, 1st Squadron,
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment ("Blackhorse Regiment") is a unit of the United States Army garrisoned at the Fort Irwin National Training Center in California. Although termed an armored cavalry regiment, it is being re-organized as a multi ...
. During a firefight on that day, in
Bình Long Province,
South Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
during
Operation Toan Thang II
Operation Toan Thang II ("Complete Victory") was an operation conducted by the US Army and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) during the Vietnam War between 1 June 1968 and 16 February 1969. It was designed to keep pressure on the Viet Co ...
, Fritz showed conspicuous leadership despite being seriously wounded. He was subsequently promoted to
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
and awarded the
Medal of Honor for his actions.
Fritz reached the rank of
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
before retiring from the army after 27 years of service.
In addition to his Medal of Honor, Fitz was awarded the
Silver Star
The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...
,
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
,
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
with
"V" device
A "V" device is a metal capital letter "V" with serifs which, when worn on certain decorations awarded by the United States Armed Forces, distinguishes an award for heroism or valor in combat instead of for meritorious service or achievement. ...
and
oak leaf cluster,
Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster,
Defense Meritorious Service Medal,
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the
Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster.
Later life
Fritz currently lives in
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...
, and works there at the
Department of Veterans Affairs' Bob Michel Outpatient clinic.
Medal of Honor citation
Captain Fritz's Medal of Honor citation reads:
See also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fritz, Harold A.
1944 births
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
Living people
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Silver Star
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
United States Army officers
University of Tampa alumni
Vietnam War recipients of the Medal of Honor