The Wall › Panel 23W › Ohio › Joseph Guy Lapointe JR
JOSEPH GUY LAPOINTE JR
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
July 2, 1948 – June 2, 1969
Medal of Honor StoryPortrait: See below, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Joseph Guy Lapointe JR, of Clayton, Ohio, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on June 2, 1969, in Quang Tin Province, South Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 23W, Line 45 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Medal of Honor · awarded posthumously
For conspicuous gallantry
Joseph Guy Lapointe JR received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions on June 2, 1969. The official citation reads:
LaPointe's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. SPC4. LaPointe, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2d Squadron, distinguished himself while serving as a medical aidman during a combat helicopter assault mission. SPC4. LaPointe's patrol was advancing from the landing zone through an adjoining valley when it suddenly encountered heavy automatic weapons fire from a large enemy force entrenched in well fortified bunker positions. In the initial hail of fire, 2 soldiers in the formation vanguard were seriously wounded. Hearing a call for aid from 1 of the wounded, SPC4. LaPointe ran forward through heavy fire to assist his fallen comrades. To reach the wounded men, he was forced to crawl directly in view of an enemy bunker. As members of his unit attempted to provide covering fire, he administered first aid to 1 man, shielding the other with his body. He was hit by a burst of fire from the bunker while attending the wounded soldier. In spite of his painful wounds, SPC4. LaPointe continued his lifesaving duties until he was again wounded and knocked to the ground. Making strenuous efforts, he moved back again into a shielding position to continue administering first aid. An exploding enemy grenade mortally wounded all 3 men. SPC4. LaPointe's courageous actions at the cost of his life were an inspiration to his comrades. His gallantry and selflessness are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
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Citation text as reproduced in Wikipedia’s article on Joseph Guy Lapointe 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 23W · Line 45
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.
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Service
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Rank
- Specialist Four (SP4)
- Service
- Drafted (Selective Service)
- Occupation
- Medical Specialist (91B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 101 AIRBORNE DIV
- Born
- July 2, 1948
- Home of record
- Clayton, Ohio (Montgomery County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- June 2, 1969
- Age
- 20
- Province
- Quang Tin
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Grenade
Context · from the records
What was happening
43 names on the Wall carry the date June 2, 1969; five of them were lost in Quảng Tín Province. In June 1969, 1,246 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 101st Airborne Division, his unit in the record, lost 92 of its members that month.
Read the history
Also on Panel 23W, Line 45
- PAUL CHALMERS JANTOPrivate First Class · June 2, 1969
- BRIAN RICHARD KELLYPrivate First Class · June 2, 1969
- ROBERT HARRISON MARTIN JRPrivate First Class · June 2, 1969
- MICHAEL MONTIJOCorporal · June 2, 1969
Same unit, same day
- RICHARD LEE BRECHSpecialist Four · Panel 23W, Line 42
- PAUL CHALMERS JANTOPrivate First Class · Panel 23W, Line 45
- JIMMIE LYNN REEDStaff Sergeant · Panel 23W, Line 47
- EMANUEL LAWRENCE SAUNDERSStaff Sergeant · Panel 23W, Line 47
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.