Joseph Guy LaPointe Jr. (July 2, 1948 – June 2, 1969) was a combat medic in the United States Army who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War.

Biography

LaPointe, known to his family as "Guy", was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. After graduating from Northridge High School in 1966, he moved to nearby Clayton and worked as a mail carrier in Englewood. LaPointe was a nature lover and an avid

hiker Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

. LaPointe was drafted in 1968 and declared himself a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

. He married Cindy Failor of Dayton, Ohio at the Englewood First Baptist Church in Ohio, during his training at the Army Medical Training Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He became a combat medic and was sent to Vietnam in November 1968. By June 2 of the next year, he was a

specialist four Specialist is a military rank in some countries’ armed forces. Two branches of the United States Armed Forces use the rank. It is one of the four junior enlisted ranks in the United States Army, above private (PVT), private (PV2), and private ...

serving with the 2nd Squadron,

17th Cavalry Regiment The 17th Cavalry Regiment is a historical organization within the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry after the Pancho Villa Expedition. The unit was constituted on 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as the 17th Cavalry at Fort ...

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

. On that day, he participated in a patrol on Hill 376 in Quảng Tín Province during

Operation Lamar Plain Operation Lamar Plain was a security operation during the Vietnam War in Quảng Tín Province, that took place from 15 May to 14 August 1969. Background The 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division was placed under the operational control of the ...

. When his unit came under heavy fire from entrenched enemy forces and took several casualties, LaPointe ran through the

automatic weapon An automatic firearm is an auto-loading firearm that continuously chambers and fires rounds when the trigger mechanism is actuated. The action of an automatic firearm is capable of harvesting the excess energy released from a previous discharge ...

s fire to reach two wounded men at the head of the patrol. He treated the soldiers and shielded them with his body, even after being twice wounded, until an enemy grenade killed all three men. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in January 1972. His other decorations include 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 ...

, Bronze Star, and National Defense Service Medal. He left a "widow, Cindy LaPointe Dafler, and son Joseph G. LaPointe III, who... never met his father."

Medal of Honor citation

LaPointe's official Medal of Honor citation reads: ;Citation Memorialjosephg

Legacy

Several structures have been named in LaPointe's honor: * Housing complex and medical complex in Fort Campbell, Kentucky * Medical heliport in Fort Benning, Georgia * Army Reserve Center in Riverside, Ohio. On June 2, 2009, the 40th anniversary of his death, LaPointe's widow and son were presented with the Medal of Honor flag during a ceremony at the LaPointe Army Reserve Center in Riverside. * A portion of Ohio State Route 49 in

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Mon ...

has been designated the "Joseph G. LaPointe Jr. Memorial Highway".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lapointe, Joseph G. Jr. 1948 births 1969 deaths United States Army soldiers Military personnel from Dayton, Ohio Combat medics American military personnel killed in the Vietnam War Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Conscientious objector Medal of Honor recipients Vietnam War recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Clayton, Ohio Deaths by hand grenade United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

Legacy

See also

References

External links