WALTER KEITH SINGLETON

Medal of Honor · awarded posthumously

For conspicuous gallantry

Walter Keith Singleton received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions on March 24, 1967. The official citation reads:

Singleton's Medal of Honor Citation reads as follows:

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to

SERGEANT WALTER K. SINGLETON

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

for service as outlined in the following

CITATION:

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Supply Sergeant, Company A, First Battalion, Ninth Marines, Third Marine Division on 24 March 1967. Sergeant Singleton's company was conducting combat operations in Gio Linh District, Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, when the lead platoon received intense small arms, automatic weapons, rocket, and mortar fire from a well-entrenched enemy force. As the company fought its way forward, the extremely heavy enemy fire caused numerous friendly casualties. Sensing the need for early treatment of the wounded, Sergeant Singleton quickly moved from his relatively safe position in the rear of the foremost point of the advance and made numerous trips through the enemy killing zone to move the injured men out of the danger area. Noting that a large part of the enemy fire was coming from a hedgerow, he seized a machine gun and assaulted the key enemy location, delivering devastating fire as he advanced. He forced his way through the hedgerow directly into the enemy strong point. Although he was mortally wounded, his fearless attack killed eight of the enemy and drove the remainder from the hedgerow. Sergeant Singleton's bold actions completely disorganized the enemy defense and saved the lives of many of his comrades. His daring initiative, selfless devotion to duty and indomitable fighting spirit reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps, and his performance upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

/S/ LYNDON B. JOHNSON

^ U.S. Marines In Vietnam, Fighting the North Vietnamese, 1967 (Library of Congress Card No. 77-604776 / PCN 19000309000. History and Museum Division, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, D.C. 1984 (Appendix D, Medal of Honor Citations, 1967, P. 310, Sergeant Walter K. Singleton) https://archive.org/details/FightingTheNorthVietnamese/page/n321 https://archive.org/details/FightingTheNorthVietnamese

Citation text as reproduced in Wikipedia’s article on Walter Keith Singleton; 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.