| |
| |
Vietnam War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
2nd Lt. John James McGinty III, USMC
Captain John James McGinty, III, who received the Medal of Honor for heroism during July 1966 in Vietnam, was born 21 January 1940, in Boston, Massachusetts. He completed grammar school in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1955, and attended high school in Louisville for a year and a half prior to enlisting in th U.S. Marine Corps Reserve on 19 February 1957. Discharged from the Marine Corps Reserve, he enlisted in the Regular Marine Corps on 3 March 1958.
He completed recruit training with the 3d Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina; and advanced infantry combat training with Company M, 3d Battalion, 1st Infantry Training Regiment, Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was promoted to private first class in September 1957, and was transferred to the 7th Infantry Company, USMCR, Louisville, Kentucky, to serve as a rifleman until March 1958.
Private First Class McGinty completed the Noncommissioned Officers Leadership School, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California, in May 1958. He was then ordered to Marine Barracks, U.S. Naval Station, Kodiak, Alaska, until May 1959. While stationed in Alaska, he was promoted to corporal in September 1958.
Transferred to the 1st Marine Division in June 1959, he saw duty as a rifleman leader, and later, squad leader with Company I, 3d Battalion, 5th Marines. Upon his return to the United States, he served as Guard/Company Police Sergeant, H&S Battalion, FMF, Atlantic, at Norfolk, Virginia, until March 1962.
From there, he was ordered to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, and assigned duty as Drill Instructor, 2d Recruit Training Battalion. He was promoted to sergeant in August 1962.
From November 1964 until December 1965, Sergeant McGinty saw duty as Assistant Brig Warden, Marine Barracks, U.S. Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia.
Sergeant McGinty was ordered to the West Coast for transfer to the Far East. Joining the 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division, in the Republic of Vietnam, in April 1966, he served successively as a platoon sergeant and platoon commander, Company K, 3d Battalion, as S-2 Officer and Operation Chief, H&S Company, 3d Battalion, and as Operations Chief, with Headquarters Company, 4th Marines.
Upon his return to the United States in May 1967, he reported to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. He served as a drill instructor until his promotion to second lieutenant on 8 August 1967. The following day, he assumed his assignment as Series Officer, 1st Recruit Battalion, at the Recruit Depot, Parris Island.
A complete list of his medals and decorations includes: the Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal with two bronze stars, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze stars, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.
Captain McGinty retired from the Marine Corps in October 1976. At the time of the action which earned him the Medal of Honor, Captain McGinty and his wife, Elaine had two sons.
Robert J. Modrzejewski and John J. McGinty III February 12, 1968 Wearing Their Medals.
Two U.S. Marine Corps officers wear their newly-awarded Medals of Honor after they were presented by President Johnson in a White House ceremony today. Major Robert J. Modrzejewski , (left), of Annapolis, Maryland and Second Lieutenant John J. McGinty III , of Laurel Bay, South Carolina, were awarded the nation's highest decoration for heroism in Vietnam in 1966.
CITATION:
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant (then S/Sgt.), U.S. Marine Corps, Company K, 3d Battalion, 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force. place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 18 July 1966. Entered service at: Laurel Bay, S.C. Born: 2 1 January 1940, Boston, Mass. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 2d Lt. McGinty's platoon, which was providing rear security to protect the withdrawal of the battalion from a position which had been under attack for 3 days, came under heavy small arms, automatic weapons and mortar fire from an estimated enemy regiment. With each successive human wave which assaulted his 32-man platoon during the 4-hour battle, 2d Lt. McGinty rallied his men to beat off the enemy. In 1 bitter assault, 2 of the squads became separated from the remainder of the platoon. With complete disregard for his safety, 2d Lt. McGinty charged through intense automatic weapons and mortar fire to their position. Finding 20 men wounded and the medical corpsman killed, he quickly reloaded ammunition magazines and weapons for the wounded men and directed their fire upon the enemy. Although he was painfully wounded as he moved to care for the disabled men, he continued to shout encouragement to his troops and to direct their fire so effectively that the attacking hordes were beaten off. When the enemy tried to out-flank his position, he killed 5 of them at point-blank range with his pistol. When they again seemed on the verge of overrunning the small force, he skillfully adjusted artillery and air strikes within 50 yards of his position. This destructive firepower routed the enemy, who left an estimated 500 bodies on the battlefield. 2d Lt. McGinty's personal heroism, indomitable leadership, selfless devotion to duty, and bold fighting spirit inspired his men to resist the repeated attacks by a fanatical enemy, reflected great credit upon himself, and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.
|
|
|
|
|
Articles & Briefings
