Posted on 01/22/2014 7:59:06 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
John J. McGinty III, a retired Marine Corps captain who received the Medal of Honor for his efforts to lead, protect and rally his outnumbered platoon during an assault in a jungle in Vietnam, died Jan. 17 at his home in Beaufort, S.C. He was 73.
The cause was bone cancer, said his son Michael McGinty.
Capt. McGinty was awarded the nation’s highest military decoration for valor during a battle in the summer of 1966. SNIP Instead, they were met with a full regiment of the North Vietnamese army.
The Americans took control of an enemy hospital and endured two more days of battle before receiving an order to withdraw, according to the book “Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty.” Capt. McGinty’s platoon was tasked with protecting the men from the rear as they destroyed downed U.S. helicopters and made their way out.
In the ensuing four-hour battle, Capt. McGinty displayed “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty,” according to his medal citation.
His platoon came under attack from small arms, automatic weapons and mortar fire. Capt. McGinty rushed through the barrage to reach two squads that had been cut off. The medical corpsman was dead. Twenty of his comrades were wounded. Capt. McGinty reloaded their weapons and helped them go on fighting.
He, too, had been hurt but continued leading a relentless assault. At one point, according to the citation, he killed five enemy troops at point-blank range with his pistol.
When the enemy seemed to revive, Capt. McGinty called in artillery and airstrikes within 50 yards of his location — a move that was said to have “routed” the North Vietnamese, whose losses numbered 500.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Active Duty/Retiree ping.
RIP
God hold dear this American Hero Patriot.
Prayers Up.............
Rest in peace.
RIP
Captain John J. McGinty III, USMC Retired
Medal of Honor Recipient
Thank you Kathy.
If the Army and the Navy,
Ever gaze on Heaven’s scenes,
They will find the streets are guarded,
By United Statets Marines.
Bravo Zulu
Thank you for the post.
RIP.
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