The Wall › Panel 17E › New Jersey › Charles Ernest Hosking JR
CHARLES ERNEST HOSKING JR
Master Sergeant · U.S. Army
May 12, 1924 – March 21, 1967
Medal of Honor StoryPortrait: U.S. Army, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Charles Ernest Hosking JR, of Ramsey, New Jersey, served as a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He died on March 21, 1967, in Phuoc Long Province, South Vietnam, at age 42. His name is inscribed on Panel 17E, Line 5 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Medal of Honor · awarded posthumously
For conspicuous gallantry
Charles Ernest Hosking JR received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions on March 21, 1967. The official citation reads:
Hosking's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Master Sergeant Hosking (then Sergeant First Class), Detachment A-302, Company A, greatly distinguished himself while serving as company advisor in the III Corps Civilian Irregular Defense Group Reaction Battalion during combat operations in Don Luan District. A Viet Cong suspect was apprehended and subsequently identified as a Viet Cong sniper. While MSG Hosking was preparing the enemy for movement back to the base camp, the prisoner suddenly grabbed a hand grenade from MSG Hosking's belt, armed the grenade, and started running towards the company command group which consisted of 2 Americans and 2 Vietnamese who were standing a few feet away. Instantly realizing that the enemy intended to kill the other men, MSG Hosking immediately leaped upon the Viet Cong's back. With utter disregard for his personal safety, he grasped the Viet Cong in a "Bear Hug" forcing the grenade against the enemy soldier's chest. He then wrestled the Viet Cong to the ground and covered the enemy's body with his body until the grenade detonated. The blast instantly killed both MSG Hosking and the Viet Cong. By absorbing the full force of the exploding grenade with his body and that of the enemy, he saved the other members of his command group from death or serious injury. MSG Hosking's risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest tradition of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
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Citation text as reproduced in Wikipedia’s article on Charles Ernest Hosking JR; Medal of Honor citations are official U.S. government records. See also the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and all Medal of Honor recipients on the Wall.
On the Wall
Panel 17E · Line 5
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
Remember
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Service
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Rank
- Master Sergeant (MSG)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- SPECIAL FORCES
- Born
- May 12, 1924
- Home of record
- Ramsey, New Jersey (Bergen County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- March 21, 1967
- Age
- 42
- Province
- Phuoc Long
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Grenade
Context · from the records
What was happening
95 names on the Wall carry the date March 21, 1967; he was the only one lost in Phuoc Long Province that day. In March 1967, 1,091 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
Special Forces, his unit in the record, lost 14 of its members that month.
Read the history
Also on Panel 17E, Line 5
- JAMES RAYMOND HINTZSpecialist Four · March 21, 1967
- DANIEL JENNINGS HOLCOMBSpecialist Four · March 21, 1967
- WILLIAM HENRY HOLTHOFFSpecialist Four · March 21, 1967
- JAMES HARVEY HOPSONPrivate First Class · March 21, 1967
From Ramsey
- ERIC C MAGNUSON JRSpecialist Four · December 30, 1966
- RICHARD ARTHUR OVAITTWarrant Officer 1 · August 8, 1968
- ADAMO ERMINO DEANGELISCaptain · October 31, 1969
- PAUL ELLIOTT SERVENSpecialist Four · March 27, 1971
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. The Medal of Honor citation above is the official account of his actions. See something wrong? Report a correction.