Walter Joseph Marm Jr.
Head and shoulders of an older man with thinning hair wearing a dark suit coat, white shirt, and red tie. A star-shaped medal hangs from a light blue ribbon around his neck and on his lapel is a small round blue pin.
Walter Marm in 2014
Nickname(s)Joe
Born (1941-11-20) November 20, 1941
Washington, Pennsylvania[1]
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1965–1995
RankColonel
UnitA Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry
Battles/warsVietnam War
AwardsMedal of Honor
Purple Heart

Walter Joseph "Joe" Marm Jr. (born November 20, 1941) is a retired United States Army colonel and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Vietnam War.[2][3]

Early life

Marm was born in Washington, Pennsylvania,[1] to Walter and Dorothy Marm, a Pennsylvania State police officer and retail clerk, respectively.[4] He graduated from Duquesne University with a business degree in 1964.[1] He then joined the United States Army from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, graduated from Officers Candidate School, and attended Ranger School.

Military career

By September 1965, Marm was serving in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). On November 14, he was a second lieutenant and platoon leader of 2nd Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).[5] On that day, during the Battle of Ia Drang, he single-handedly destroyed an enemy machine-gun position and several of its defenders, suffering severe wounds in the process. Marm survived his wounds and was subsequently promoted to first lieutenant; on December 19, 1966, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.[6]

Marm reached the rank of colonel before retiring from the army in 1995.[4][1] Marm is an Eagle Scout.[1][7] As such, he is one of only eleven known Eagle Scouts who also received the Medal of Honor.Member of the Knights of Columbus 1966.

Medal of Honor citation

Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor

First Lieutenant Marm's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. As a platoon leader in the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), 1st Lt. Marm demonstrated indomitable courage during a combat operation. His company was moving through the valley to relieve a friendly unit surrounded by an enemy force of estimated regimental size. 1st Lt. Marm led his platoon through withering fire until they were finally forced to take cover. Realizing that his platoon could not hold very long, and seeing four enemy soldiers moving into his position, he moved quickly under heavy fire and annihilated all 4. Then, seeing that his platoon was receiving intense fire from a concealed machine gun, he deliberately exposed himself to draw its fire. Thus locating its position, he attempted to destroy it with an antitank weapon. Although he inflicted casualties, the weapon did not silence the enemy fire. Quickly, disregarding the intense fire directed on him and his platoon, he charged 30 meters across open ground, and hurled grenades into the enemy position, killing some of the 8 insurgents manning it. Although severely wounded, when his grenades were expended, armed with only a rifle, he continued the momentum of his assault on the position and killed the remainder of the enemy. 1st Lt. Marm's selfless actions reduced the fire on his platoon, broke the enemy assault, and rallied his unit to continue toward the accomplishment of this mission. 1st Lt. Marm's gallantry on the battlefield and his extraordinary intrepidity at the risk of his life are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.[8]

Political endorsement

Marm, a conservative Republican, endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2016. Marm traveled with Trump to election rallies and appeared on stage with him at numerous locations including Selma, North Carolina on November 3, 2016.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "COL Walter "Joe" Marm, Jr". Army Heritage Center. Archived from the original on 2020-07-30.
  2. ↑ "Vietnam War - U.S. Army Walter J. Marm Jr. - Medal of Honor Recipient". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
  3. ↑ "Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients (M-Z)". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. October 3, 2003. Archived from the original on 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
  4. 1 2 Lange, Katie (2018-04-01). "Army Lieutenant Charges Enemy, Saves Platoon in Vietnam". DoD Live. Archived from the original on 2019-08-11.
  5. ↑ "Walter J. Marm, Jr". TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Archived from the original on 2018-04-04.
  6. ↑ Silver, Jonathan D. (2000-04-25). "Vietnam, 25 years later: 'In-country' only two months, Joe Marm soon became a hero". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2018-04-04.
  7. ↑ "Interview with Walter Joseph Marm, Jr. [n.d.]". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  8. ↑ "Vietnam (M – Z Full-text citations)". The Official Home Page of the United States Army. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  9. ↑ Full Speech: Donald Trump Rally in Selma, NC 11/3/16 on YouTube

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Walter Joseph Marm, Jr..
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.