Congressional Medal of Honor CMH Joe Ronnie Hooper, SoldierUSA With Gov Official Document

Joe Ronnie Hooper, Captain, United States Army http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jrhooper.
htm
2 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
Joe Ronnie Hooper, Captain, United States Army http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jrhooper.htm
Captain, United States Army
1 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
Photos Courtesy of the Home of Heroes
25 years later, a tribute

Posted: Monday, Oct 11, 2004 - 04:09:35 pm PDT
By Sebastian Moraga
Herald staff writer
In sports, a three-pointer at the buzzer is called heroic.
In Hollywood, a visit to Ground Zero is called brave.
In Moses Lake, reminders of others' patriotism and heroism are

on our yards, and on our cars and in our hearts. But what about
in our memory?
Let's take a little test, shall we? Do you know who Audie Murphy
is? Sure you do. Most decorated soldier in World War II. Same
with Sergeant York, his WWI counterpart, Norman Schwarzkopf,
and where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is.
3 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
Now let me ask you this. Do you know who Joe Hooper is?
Probably not. After all, he does not have a book about him and a
movie about him like Murphy does, or appear on Stephen King's
novel "The Green Mile," like York does.
Hooper does have more medals than both of them, though. In

fact, no man in the history of American international combat is
reputed to have received more decorations than one Staff
Sergeant Joe R. Hooper.
Let me rephrase that. No man in the history of American

international combat is reputed to have received more
decorations than one Staff Sergeant Joe R. Hooper, from Moses
Lake, Washington.
Before you go all gung ho about looking him up and shaking his
hand, let me tell you he died in 1979 at the age of 40, but not
before receiving the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, eight Purple
Hearts and, in 1969, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
He was wined and dined after his return from combat, even
making it to Johnny Carson's famed couch one time. After that,
one of the greatest heroes in American combat was forgotten, as
were many of his more anonymous fellow soldiers who served in
Vietnam.
Ever since his remains were placed under a small marker at

Arlington National Cemetery, there have been tributes, no doubt.
Since the mid-1990s, his adoptive hometown in the middle of
Washington state has a plaque with his name on it in the middle
of McCosh Park, and in the early 1980s, the Veterans' Medical
Center in Seattle named its wing reserved for patients with
substance addiction problems after him.
For some of Hooper's friends and fellow soldiers, however, this

latter tribute feels like a slap in the face, given that the brave
South Carolinian born in 1939 died an alcoholic. An added slight
if one considers that the VA Hospital in Murfreesboro, Tenn., is
named after York, and the VA Hospital in San Antonio is named
after Murphy.
Murphy has his movies and his book, the latter selling at your
local retail stores. York has his share of our memory, too. In
comparison, Hooper has very little. Years before his death, he
knew such would be his fate.
4 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
"It's sort of like the war itself," he said in 1977. "So many people
wanted to forget it when I was fighting it. Why should they want
to remember us now?"
Here's why.
Because Joe R. Hooper was a good soldier fighting an unpopular

war. Following orders abroad while unrest reigned at home.
Doing his job the best he could in the Vietnamese jungle while he
and others like him were being reviled and demonized in Main
Street America.
With all that on his shoulders, he fought, and fought, and fought
some more. Just like Murphy and York and millions of others, he
fought. And just like them, he is a hero who deserves to be
remembered whenever this city and this Basin that so deeply
professes to love its troops pays them a tribute.
If this sounds too hawkish, I apologize. I am not trying to put

anyone on trial. I am paying tribute to a man paying an unjust
price. He was the most decorated man to ever put on a uniform,
he was from here, and yet I am sure many of us did not even
know who he was, myself included.
In a city that prides itself in putting up yellow ribbons to honor

the brave of today, there must be room to honor the valiant
soldiers of yesteryear.
A Crippled Home Front

Courtesy of Rick Anderson, Seattle Weekly
April 10, 2003
The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve
in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional
to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and
appreciated by their nation.
– George Washington
War was his best moment and his worst. Visions of whistling
bullets, airborne body parts, screams of the wounded – and that
was a good day for Joe Hooper. The Medal of Honor winner and
most decorated soldier in Vietnam would bolt upward in his
Seattle bed, sweating booze from the night before. Those earlier
appearances on national TV, the possibility of a Hollywood
biopic, hanging out with Bob Hope and several presidents – that
just churned him up more inside. The catlike, strawberry-haired
5 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
6-footer and former Washington state football scoring champ at

Moses Lake High School had enlisted at age 19 because he
admired the military.
Then came Vietnam. Staff Sergeant Joe Hooper, 29, of the 501st
Airborne Infantry, killed at least 115 of the enemy – 24 of them in a
six-hour firefight, lobbing grenades into Viet Cong bunkers and
wading through withering machine-gun fire to repeatedly rescue
wounded American soldiers. Fourteen out of 189 survived. After
treatment for his wounds, Hooper broke out of the hospital to
return to his unit. Part American Indian, he said he could "smell US ARmy Photo
out" the enemy, and thought he was born to go to Vietnam. His
37 medals were more than those earned by World War II's Audie
Murphy and World War I's Alvin York – names that, unlike
Hooper's, still ring familiar today. Like others of his era, he
arrived home to accusations of being a baby killer. But that's not
what eventually soured him on Vietnam. "At high schools, when I
speak, the question kids most often asked me was, 'Would you
do it again?'" he told me once. "I would, the reason being I
thought my abilities helped save lives. But I would tell my
children, if [we] were to do this over, 'Go to Canada. Don't fight a
war you can't win.'"
In the end, it was Joe Hooper who needed to be rescued. From

the day he left the service in 1974 with a $12,000 retirement check
carried around in his shoe, his war was with himself and the
bottle. Not all soldiers, including the many who were transported
from the killing fields to home just a few days out of combat, had
his agonizing psychological problems. Overwhelmingly, the
average war veteran makes it through decompression to live a
normal life. But Hooper wasn't average, nor was his war.
("Vietnam," says vet and psychologist Jim Goodwin, was
uniquely "a private war of survival" by individual soldiers.)
Hooper, with two children and a caring wife, was painfully
arthritic and 60 percent disabled from his wounds. He sometimes
toted around a gun when he boozed. "He drank hard, there's no
denying that," Hooper's friend Larry Frank recalled. "But the VA
couldn't deal with him drinking and running around, and that's
exactly what the VA is there for, people with problems like Joe's."
His binges lasted days, and sometimes he was carried out of
Seattle bars by military buddies the way he carried the wounded
over his shoulders in Vietnam. "When he'd get on a tear,"
remembered Medal of Honor historian Don Ross of Kitsap
County, "Bob Bush [another Medal of Honor winner from
Olympia] and I would go after him. It was a constant battle." In
6 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
between bouts, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gave him

a desk job counseling vets on benefits and then let him go due to
"problems adapting to the bureaucratic environment." In 1979,
five years out of his army boots, Joe Hooper was dead from a
cerebral hemorrhage. He was 40. The VA eventually was
reluctantly persuaded to name a wing of its medical center on
Beacon Hill after him, and the Army's reserve center in Bothell
now bears his name.
His death was said to be from natural causes. And that's what
scares everyone to this day.
"He was a casualty of war, and you can expect more of the same
after Iraq," says David Willson, a retired Green River Community
College librarian, editor of Vietnam War Generation Journal, and
a Vietnam vet who worked with Hooper on a collection of war
literature. "Look at the history – this is a country made by war on
the backs of vets who have never, ever been treated as
promised." Hooper's story is a lesson on that failure, Willson
says. "If we can't save our heroes, who can we save?"
More Patients, Less Money
For the country's ex-warriors, many of them aged and ailing – and
thousands of them homeless – medical and psychological
treatment is being rationed at home as meals and bullets
sometimes were in battle. Last year, the VA, the second-largest
government agency (behind the Defense Department) which
operates the nation's largest hospital system, treated 1.4 million
more veterans than in 1996, with 20,000 fewer employees. Since
1995, its hospital enrollments have shot up from 2.9 million to
more than 4.5 million annually. At least another 600,000 of
America's 25 million surviving male and female veterans will
enroll this year. Some will have to stand in line, others will be
refused, and still others may face new $250 enrollment fees.
Though hospital and outpatient care are readily available,
outreach programs are being downsized, and a lack of funding
will force a quarter-million vets to wait up to 10 months for
specialized treatment and surgery. Some clinics and hospitals
have shut their doors to new patients, and the VA has just closed
enrollment to about 164,000 vets who have no service-connected
health complications and rank in the VA's "highest income"
bracket (about $35,000 for a vet with no dependents, for example).
More than 450,000 disability claims are pending, and vets who are
denied face another long wait for appeals decisions.
7 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
The future looks even worse: A House Budget Committee is now

proposing to cut VA spending by $15 billion over 10 years,
starting with $463 million slashed from next year's budget.
Legislators claim they're cutting fraud, waste, and abuse. But Joe
Fox Sr., head of Paralyzed Veterans of America, who calls the
cuts "an in-your-face insult to the veterans of this country," says
the reduction will slam the poorest disabled veterans and cut GI
Bill benefits for soldiers who are currently serving in Iraq. The
plan could also mean the loss of 9,000 VA physicians in a short-
handed VA system, he says.
For decades, vets say, they've watched their benefits fade in

tandem with the diminishing national consciousness of their
earlier sacrifices. "Pressures on the VA health care system,"
warns Joe Violante, legislative director for the Disabled American
Veterans, "have escalated to a critical point that can no longer be
ignored by our government." He and others recently told the
House Veterans Affairs Committee that the VA is underfunded by
almost $2 billion. But, in the midst of a stagnant economy, the
proposed Bush tax cut, and the Bush war, where would more
money come from? Apparently not from George W. Bush.
A week ago, the president summoned leaders from veterans

groups to attend his live-TV speech urging on the troops in Iraq.
"People serving in the military are giving their best for this
country," Bush said earnestly, "and we have the responsibility to
give them our full support. . . . " But while the president's $62.6
billion supplemental funding would provide fuel and supplies for
the troops and benefits for the people of Iraq, Bush didn't
mention that his agenda includes a $150 million aid cut to
schools attended by military dependents, and support for billions
in VA reductions.
Is anyone surprised? Slashing the VA budget is almost a

presidential ritual. Ronald Reagan, the celluloid warrior,
proposed firing 20,000 VA medical personnel and scrapping part
of the VA counseling program – in the midst of a suicidal
epidemic among Vietnam vets in the 1980s. Even decorated
ex-trooper George Bush pared $600 million from the VA and
revoked the lousy $237 once given to families to help bury
veterans. (Ironically, one of the vets' best friends was the
undrafted Bill Clinton, who increased benefits and pay with the
Veterans Programs Enhancement Act of 1998.)
"My father," says Vietnam vet Willson, "a U.S. Marine, came back
from Iwo Jima with spots on his lungs from being buried in the
8 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
volcanic sand there. He never got diddly out of the VA in

compensation. They treated him like shit. He was of that
generation where you didn't push things much and died in his
middle 60s from brain tumors. My great-grandfather was a Civil
War vet and spent his postwar years battling to get his $15
pension. I fought with the VA for two years over my son, who was
born with spina bifida. I made a claim related to Agent Orange,
which they denied – only open-spine condition is covered, not
the type he has. My Uncle Frank, a Spanish-American War
veteran, used to say, 'I cudgel my cerebellum trying to figure out
how Washington is going to screw the veteran next.'"
Past Wars, Future Patients
With the first wars came the first mystery illnesses – the "irritable
heart" of the Civil War veterans, later found to be a psychological
disturbance not unlike shell shock in WWI, battle fatigue in WWII,
and post-traumatic stress disorder in Vietnam. With new ways to
fight wars came new ways to die from them – the ever-growing
Agent Orange division of medicine. It took 30 years of Vietnam
veteran complaints about toxic defoliants ruining their personal
and family health and shortening their life spans before the VA
accepted the disorders as treatable diseases. More discoveries
continue: Only last year did scientists find a new Agent Orange
link to a form of leukemia. Desert Storm vets – about 150,000
returned disabled from the "100-hour war" – are the latest to try to
prove their many illnesses are related to the effects of chemicals,
radiation, and biological weapons. But the VA says evidence
does not support claims that depleted uranium and sarin gas,
among others, are culpable. (Storm vets are, however, twice as
likely as the general population to develop ALS – Lou Gehrig's
Disease – and treatment for that is now covered.)
Other generations of vets are trying to resurrect their own lost

causes. In Florida, for example, ex-POW and Medal of Honor
winner George Day has taken a class-action benefits lawsuit to
the U.S. Supreme Court. The old warhorse calls it "the crusade of
my life, and I won't rest until the last round is fired," as he seeks
to hold the Navy to its 1914 promise that "during your life, you
receive free medicine, medical attendance, and hospital service
whenever required." Day contends the Pentagon breached its
contract to continue to provide hospital care for military retirees
over 65, forcing them to buy Medicare and other supplemental
insurance costing thousands of dollars annually – a prohibitive
price for many elderly military or surviving spouses. Retired Army
Col. David Hackworth, the columnist and frequent guest on TV's
9 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
war channels, describes the government's history of handing out

veterans' benefits as "shameful double-talk, backpedaling, and
welshing." American vets, he says, "from our Civil War to Desert
Storm have been consistently treated like orphans." Hackworth,
not unlike Joe Hooper, worries most that troops may be
politically sacrificed. Hooper's friend Willson says, "Joe would be
mighty upset by the politics of this war." Hackworth is. A member
of Soldiers for the Truth (www.sftt.org), which includes citizens
and congressional members concerned about troop readiness,
Hackworth recently told me: "If you're not a member and inclined
to volunteer for SFTT duty, please do. We still need a few more
good men and women. It's only with numbers that we can make
the bastards listen."
Based on his reading of government studies, Hackworth says

more than 161,000 Desert Storm vets have been disabled, and
almost 10,000 have died from Gulf War-related illness that may
have been caused by chemical munitions, oil-fire fumes, untested
inoculations, local bugs, or all of the above. Officially, in a
January report, the VA said 8,500 direct and indirect combat vets
from Desert Storm have since died, but warns in a military voice:
"The use of these data to draw conclusions regarding mortality
rates will result in inaccurate conclusions." (There were 148 killed
in combat and 467 wounded during Desert Storm.) "Now Bush,"
Hackworth wrote in a recent column, "and his war hawks – who
almost to a man dodged service in the Vietnam War, just like the
majority of our members of Congress – are again sending
warriors to employ the military solution in the Gulf at even
greater risk, since the Pentagon has just admitted the bio/chem
suits our attacking troops will wear are good only for bunker
duty."
Clearly, war casualties aren't the making of just our enemies. Like
U.S. defoliants in Vietnam, the radioactive residue from U.S.
munitions fired at Saddam's tanks are thought to have
contributed to cancer and birth defects among Desert Storm vets
– U.S. forces used weapons containing 640,000 pounds of
depleted uranium during Desert Storm – all in violation of the
Geneva accords, according to a United Nations report. Ralph
Nader and others are seeking congressional hearings on the
likelihood that troops in Iraq today are traveling through a "zone
of death" contaminated by the 1991 war. Last month, U.S. and
U.K. officials were reassuring the world that there was little threat
from depleted uranium weapons today, even though more than
10,000 allied bombs and missiles, some tipped with depleted
10 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
uranium, have rained down since Operation Iraqi Freedom began.

Other earlier Born-in-the-U.S.A. miseries are still being
uncovered, some of them intentionally inflicted on our own
troops. The Institute of Medicine last month opened a study to
determine the possible long-term effects of biological and
chemical agents secretly sprayed during the Cold War on 5,000
servicemen aboard U.S. ships. Including sarin and VX nerve gas,
the sprayings were intended to test the effects of another
chemical used to decontaminate the ships. That chemical, too,
was hazardous.
Politicians' Memories
Many war vets say their complaints aren't about the working folks
at the VA or those who staff their hospitals, as I found out during
unauthorized strolls through the Seattle VA medical center a few
days back (reporters must have clearance, I was later
admonished). "My doctor's great! And the people here are the
sweetest," said a woman who gave her name as Emma and said
she was in the Army during WWII. Others echoed that sentiment.
The VA Puget Sound Health Care System, which includes the
updated 1950s Seattle hospital on Beacon Hill, American Lake
hospital south of Tacoma, and specialty care services to vets in
four states, ranks high in the VA system. But it, too, is under
pressure from new vets – 3,000 more (a total of about 54,000) vets
used hospital services here last year than the previous year, and
17,000 new outpatient visits were recorded. "Obviously, we can
only work within the parameters of the funding we receive," says
Seattle VA hospital spokesperson Ellen Flores. "But we have a
staff that truly cares and an administration dedicated to patient
care – the deputy director and chief of staff are veterans
themselves." The state has 670,000 vets, and hospital public
affairs director Jeri Rowe says care for some of them is evolving
almost daily. "We'll have more women vets than ever before, and
though fewer WWII vets will be here, we'll have aging Vietnam
and Gulf War vets." The regional system is serving more vets
with fewer dollars, she says, "but we're among the most
cost-efficient in the VA system."
Washington's congressional delegation, whose districts

encompass almost a dozen military bases and 60,000 troops (a
third of which are in Iraq), has been sensitive to veterans' causes,
however political their motives may be. Dovish Rep. Jim
McDermott, D-Seattle, much maligned by the right for his prewar
trip to Iraq, is pushing a bill to study the true effects of depleted
uranium. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, criticized by
11 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
conservatives for voting against the Gulf War II resolution, was

subsequently given the American Ex-Prisoners of War's Barbed
Wire Award for her campaign to help vets (she's the first woman
to sit on the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, and her father was
a wounded WWII vet). Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Spokane, who
may be planning a run against Murray, recently began handing
out medals to survivors of the WWII invasion of Normandy (the
medals are made in France, by the way). The eight other state
delegates all say they're fighting for vet rights, too. But why do
veterans have to keep reminding us not to forget them?
VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi promises better days, and

veterans' groups are pressuring legislators to vote down
Republican funding cuts. The VA and Defense Department are
now collecting medical data during fighting in Afghanistan and
Iraq that could be used to determine causes of future mystery
illnesses. Most everyone hopes a nation that supports its troops
in battle won't forget them again when the smoke clears.
During my visit to the VA hospital, I went looking for Joe

Hooper's plaque, which I had seen unveiled when a wing was
named in his honor a dozen years back. "Joe who?" said a man
at the information desk. Others were stumped, too. I couldn't
recall the plaque's exact location and rode elevators and roamed
a mile of hallways unsuccessfully. Last week, public affairs
director Rowe told me she had found the plaque in the
Addictions Services building, but the area was off-limits to me.
She wanted me to know that, if the VA system failed Hooper, it
learned from those mistakes. "People back then didn't give much
credence to understanding [post-traumatic stress disorder] and
addiction as they should have. I think we know a lot more and
have moved forward with a greater understanding." In that sense,
you can say Joe Hooper, even if forgotten, continues to help
rescue his fellow soldiers. He is buried, by the way, in Arlington
National Cemetery. Near the Tomb of the Unknowns.
Born at Piedmont, South Carolina, August 8, 1938, he earned the

Medal of Honorwhile serving as Staff Sergeant, Company D, 2nd
Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, on
February 21, 1968 near Hue, Vietnam.
His citation reads:
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of

his own life above and beyond the call of duty. He distinguished
himself while serving as a squad leader with Company D. The
12 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
company was assaulting a heavily defended position along a

river bank when it encountered withering fire from rockets,
machineguns and automatic weapons. He rallied several men and
stormed across the river, overrunning several bunkers on the
opposite shore. Thus inspired, the rest of the company moved on
the attack. With utter disregard for his own safety, he moved our
under intense fire again and pulled back the wounded, refused
medical aid and returned to his men. With the relentless enemy
fire disrupting the attack, he single-handedly stormed three
enemy bunkers, destroying them with hand grenades and rifle
fire, and shot two enemy soldiers who had attacked and wounded
the Chaplain. Leading his men forward in a sweep of the area, he
destroyed three buildings housing enemy riflemen. At this point
he was attacked by a North Vietnamese officer whom he fatally
wounded with his bayonet. Finding his men under heavy fire
from a house to the front, he proceeded alone to the building,
killing its occupants with rifle fire and grenades. By now his
initial body wound had been compounded by grenade fragments,
despite multiple wounds and the loss of blood, he continued to
lead his men against the intense enemy resistance. As his squad
reached the final lines of the enemy, it received devastating fire
from four bunkers in line on their left flank. He gathered several
hand grenades and raced down a small trench which ran the
length of the bunker line, tossing grenades into each bunker as
he passed by, killing all but two of the occupants. With these
positions destroyed, he concentrated on the last bunkers facing
his men, destroying the first with an incendiary grenade and
neutralizing two more by rifle fire. He then raced across an open
field, still under enemy fire, to rescue a wounded man who was
trapped in a trench. Upon reaching the man, he was faced by an
armed enemy soldier whom he killed with his pistol. Moving his
comrade to safety, he returned to his men, neutralized the final
pocket of enemy resistance bu fatally wounding three North
Vietnamese officers with rifle fire. He then established a final line
and reorganized his men, not accepting medical treatment until
this was accomplished and not consenting to evacuation until
the following morning. His supreme valor, inspiring leadership
and heroic self-sacrifice were directly responsible for the
company's success are provided a lasting example in personal
courage for every man on the field. His actions were in keeping
with the highest tradition of military service and reflect great
honor upon himself and the United States Army."
He was presented with the Medal by President Richard Nixon at

the White House on March 7, 1969. He served a total of two tours
13 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
of duty in Vietnam.
He died of natural causes on May 6, 1979 after his return home

and was buried in Section 46 of Arlington National Cemetery,
adjacent to the Memorial Amphitheater.
His other decorations include two Silver Stars (one of them which
began as a recommendation for a second Medal of Honor), six
Bronze Stars and eight Purple Hearts.
HOOPER, JOE R
CPT US ARMY
VIETNAM
DATE OF BIRTH: 08/08/1938
DATE OF DEATH: 05/06/1979
BURIED AT: SECTION 46 SITE 656-17
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Photo courtesy of Raymond L. Collins
14 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
Photo Courtesy of Russell C. Jacobs, March 2006
Updated:30 September 2000 Page Updated: 1 May 2001 Updated: 15 March 2003 Updated: 10 April 2003
Updated: 15 October 2004 Updated: 22 December 2005 Updated: 7 April 2006
15 of 15 4/9/2018 7:05 AM
Award of Congressional Medal of Honor Files
Joe R. Hooper
Eyewitness Statement of Dale A. Urban
Eyewitness Statement of Edward J. Pettit,
Eyewitness Statement of George Parker,
Eyewitness Statement of Lee Grimsley
Eyewitness Statement of Lonnie Thomas
Eyewitness Statement of Tex Gray
Eyewitness Statement of William F. Aronow
Eyewitness Statement of William W. Erbach
Situation Diagrams
Description of Terrain
Draft of Citation
Eyewitness Statement of Dale A. Urban
Eyewitness Statement of Dale A. Urban, Company D,
Second Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne
Division, ca. 03/12/1968
This eyewitness statement contains evidence of the actions

of Staff Sergeant Joe R. Hooper, who distinguished himself
on 21 February 1968 in the battle of Hue, Republic of
Vietnam. As a result of this statement, and statements of
others, Staff Sergeant Hooper was awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor. In an extraordinary
occurrence, Staff Sergeant Clifford C. Sims of the same
company earned the Congressional Medal of Honor on the
same day.
fa tho 2ist of Frtmarr 1968 tho Delta Aiders wsn flwd
on m«ff stronghold* Sgt Joe Hooper noroJ across the river in pursuit
of pn tr-cny position, When he H&S a&ras ths r l w r ths rest of the
on lins ws morud outflweopdnethe

vlla9^13 • Aftar HS i*?re ten matera vithlu the
hit* 3^b Hooper cr«xl*d to his positlot and got the mas out of danger
fire.
JB we jnorod fewicd PflC DeldAay va3 hit* And again Sfit Hoopar
to WB position to help the voxnded naa, /.lithe tiiao ha wtf undor
Jl», and i w flTnn hit hlmflU. However Sgt Hooper rofuacd to cpit
Ai «B moved on there -were but Just a few man Imft* Continuing
sweap rciwand ha knocked ottf tm&ec after tnudeerj upon opa oj theeo
3gt Hocper, with utter din^gard for hi* own eafetyj fttig&t a HVA
officer la hand to hand
H»per l y hlo b n ^ and tcqiBgaaus actions kept the Delta

l i i » to finish the deadly battle. Aftor the f l u t i n g had
helped ths more sevcraly woind«d am to Safety for
a l l -this ticse ha hJnsalf had baon wounded in the
DALE A,
SOT, P i n Team
CoD 2/50
H3RGF»KSE0Elf
Eyewitness Statement of Edward J. Pettit,
Eyewitness Statement of Edward J. Pettit, Jr., Company D, Second

Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, ca.
03/12/1968
This eyewitness statement contains evidence of the actions of Staff

Sergeant Joe R. Hooper, who distinguished himself on 21 February
1968 in the battle of Hue, Republic of Vietnam. As a result of this
statement, and statements of others, Staff Sergeant Hooper was
awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. In an extraordinary
occurrence, Staff Sergeant Clifford C. Sims of the same company
earned the Congressional Medal of Honor on the same day.
STAIIHSHT
Joa ft. Hooper led his squad against heavy enemy f i w on Ftebnuoy 21st
and roved out uodar this Hi* tlno after tinm t o fialp ths rounded* He wea
htnflfllf owrly in the fightijig but this didn't stop hinu Ho Smocked out
enenjr butiierc *& Wniee-lf, charging thoa Kith gwn&doa * In moot ceaca
the rest al his Den eaca on throogh oTler bs had alrts^p- Uhen flara of the slt~
uatlon, Be blaw up a cmpla hoachts with LlOfa and &t^bbed cne NVA tihsn the
gulc's riTla misfired, I know a J*i of men wore ewfftHy afraid t* #> forHfert
aineo th* ftnon^ ripe was tew34lc «rf they had toit&crf on every aifc* But fcho
roasmi no <H» lagged behind vaa tecaus* Sgt Hooper VBP tln^ra out ftont, «wi i t
kind of stewed them and nmdc them X&el more fionfidsnt at the &an» tins*
Hsppor mw "winded & j«f tin»9 but ho Just taspt right en lighting, Hân
t& thfl ftnal Unas the NTA Imd realfitroongburifcorfl and they waro pouring ffllt
•rttrT- hasvy fire. A l o t of EUJH wendored hew ws Wfira going t o tako the position
when Sgt Hooper cabled out for ewj^tiody t o corer Mm aa hft charficd thrcugh the
blowing up bimken i«ith hand grenailoa, Mn had 3Hi Urtoan follov right
hinuith his l i f U tff get whtt ha mlased* Sgl Hcopflr 9arcd /i lot of
UTOS that day, ana by h insult* killed nai* -than tim rest c f w put togettto
Even after the ttehting iras ovKsr ho <ttdji*t go and get his Katmdfl tatam oara of4
L-.^tftftd ho made SUJ« cvflrjbody «lee TOS taken cere of and then he prepared
men-fw tbo next day'a
FCS OFFICIAL USE o;;u

Eyewitness Statement of George Parker
Eyewitness Statement of George Parker, Company D, Second

03/12/1968

- ' • -
the Delta "Haidsisi ware assaulting * strong cnncy position i»ar Jfue <m the
of Fcbniffly when heavy enemy rostefc, mtchin* ggn, mid aut acetic mapons fir*
halted tha Aflvoncu in freat of a 8tt*am abcut twenty foot uitte. S^t Hooper, a
fligud leader, got a faw s»n together end dashed acrose the stream and up into
ths face of tiie enany Slro wen thtutfi tha eneay was firing from bunkom just on
the oppogite bank. Thaw burikew MBM S W ™ , and somi the rest of ths coniffl^r
*Jt nwrtng foUowdns S^t Ifcwpar1? exasple, A couple am war* hit and left «c-
pesed to eaotay fiiw, but flgt Htoper brand th* fli* and wont out after tt*m, Hs
brought on& man baotc, aud then wnt after tho aucond men. Us got t D him but va*
munded in tho process. S t i l l he brought tho uon baoh to safdtj and then tmnt
out agsin flren though he was woundad himself. He t mihd SSfl Thonaa pinned down
and tried to find TAOTO the f±pj was coming frai. 3PJV Jfaunt wan up in fr^rti of
thorn so Sgt Hooper called cut to hi- to see i f he toyld DDVS botwacei tw> s t a l l
housss to locate the fire. Mount t*ok o » etep between tt» HOOBM raid was hit
in th* leg, BecaiMfr of hia uound he touJdn't IHOTB and tho enony fir*
elAddr md ckacr, Sgt Hooper t»lc drastic aotlon to prewnt Mount Cna. being
Jellied, Hs n»Wi4 ar^md the Isft ftf the houses ewn though tho ewony had
bunkers not mow than fifteen raters &aj- trcn the s i t e of the houas
ho get paat these bunkors and behind the housoa Trtjqre he flaw thrae bunfcew con-
mctftd by a tTflnoht Sgt H&psr get up and th^gnd th* first burksr (they ware
no mre than t^n astcra ap&H), thrmlng a grenade inside and thwi sttaying i t
with rifle f l i c . iMi JdHfld cireiyon* inside and frcm behind thia bunker he
started firing into the second byrikBr, «id thia fim eliminated everyflns in there
Ha got up and ran tewsrd the tttiid burilMt Just DS on l,VA raddjenen camo out, and
Heopftr ehot hia dead. Those btufcera had had roekots^ autmatic mapms, and
F (jR LffiCIAL USE 6&Y

. . .
^ - -Fca'cFncfAinEOKLr
r*dia CCMUJIHK in Him* Sgf. Hooper then rttumsd to the riLv»riuiJc v l n n
i.
a lot of men ten hesitant about stirus Jciward. But attar seeing Sgfc Hoopor
they1 All got up to follow him. J u& t as they had deployed at the top of the bahte
thrift HVJl £vped out of the banb» <tfid started firing their AK-fcft, but the chap-
lain T«H the only man h i t , StlUL, everymo Just IVois coccept*Sgt Hooper uho
firod flHari dropping tm> of the CummlAta vhils tl» otl^r BMnaaed to cacapc.
S-gt HocpM* tl»^ "hflndaeod the clupÛinr« mmul end helped him back to safety,
Vtan l}o returned lio led the uea in i ewoBp up to ths tlie three buyers ho had
just elinOnoted. In this aêap the other bmito» en tha il«ifc >ra^ overrun.
novod ahnad of hia aott s t this point to analyso tho situation:

and wMJfl ftrt/awl C^K three onJêiq inmninE im a tounker In en sfrart to
to a hou&B. Ctaly two o£ th«a Boirfe i t PS Sgt Kxjwi: chot th& tMid onn
ttwn taking a. HX, ho hit the hoima thej- had Just catotod dead crater aad
MIL Hhtl* octtiRe ths ho«aft ablaze, thflr fin tha rl^ht the squad wan
t m more houses and Sgfc Hoopor proceeded to knot* thoso c^rt too*
•
S t i l l fire erne fron th* rl^htj sad soon i t WM detemdnad that i t was conia^
a enrim) in that a » i , Sgt Hooper ei^Hlnd fovword wtfct two oth»r men dnd
Jlw oa i t , Th» ensmy flw Boon ceased^ Jfetumiiie *« Mo munJ
led thcti dn another s-weop khich orerrai p. Jtow more bunkers^ HJTO the? halted
ageiji wid Sgt Itoopor flUubed OQ top of cue of tho burtcaiB to i i w on the. duaiy
Vhlle he w&s on top of i t an NVA offitif cl±=.tod out cmd f«intod hi* rifls at
Hboper'e heed, 3gt Hoopffr swun^ around but the HVA ptllcd tho trigger
his wâpen Jaamcd and 3gt Uoojifir found he was out of Hnnunitiqn,
started mining, t«t ^gt Hooper caught him and fettled Mm with hli
FOR OFFlClftl! USE

fs FORfcFFICIfiIISR Oi
(Contlnuatifln of
Whwi he got bsftfe to his men he f omtd they wera under heavy automatic
from a hnee In front* ftrti^flne was taking ôver, but 5gt Hooper moved
out alons wd marwurorcd around behind the house, 3te kicked In the tack door
end was fired <* instantly, but the bulL*t» Jînd by about ai. Inch or lesa,
tho WVA difinH h&TO a second chance, S^t ttocper cponad up.idth 4 fierce
and then threw in two gjwnauee as he left, the total a£Tflet killing a l l
Jie Ms nan jnonred up ttisy enccuittored stiff resiatancie* This
the l « t line of dcfsrjsc wlwrfl flntng- tmrikex^ were pcBitloned in
an imrarted "U-i with heavy- enJilflditt^ fir*. c « l h g frvn tho xa* ot biaiciB m
. • •
the iaft nmnljcie perpendicular to the Una *f advance, Thai? wap a
running In front of t t e touifeers and S^t ftopfier dashed dam thia tpflnch with
Wb*ui foU^witifi, ^ ]H passed ea&h CM hs tajacd a grenade i*to i t and
a u » the Jtfb was dcu t ^ pgmlnff idJJa fiw into flash one after the
This KUled all but tva detendew wh* stâfiarfld out of mo of tht burikcrs, shak-
en and blflcdy, and they YISTO taken priaflnsr* When thap gjot to the last tmnl«sr
thAy turned right and fired on two OTi behind ths next bunfcer dam the line. ^.
Thft NVA dwflkad dewtt gin4 3gt K»por rushed up to tha Tranhflr t r m xhei* he started
•
firing on two p»re bunkers dtswn th* lihd, one hoiwing a mactdns gun. But ba
round nit that tfie V»Q HVA vhoa he had ehot at wspa inside this tranter h». was
«i end ho dropped an incendiary grenade Inside which vw nwrully effectine.
Ife kept on ftrinc «i tl» tvro imnJifirsj JlnaJiy ailencing one and than the other.
Just then ho saw that SRV Gray v«9 Mounted in a trench rwar the tanker? h*
-had Jaet fceon firing en. Siimy tiie was a t i l l aweeping the ftejd^ but Egfc
over to Cray because dray cwilrtn^t e&t out of tho trejio.h and
FORQFFIGIAL USE OT
• F8R OFFICIAL HffiOaV !
\ Continuation of STtEvfrrtjEdS StfjffjatEro)
<>•••
ware firijig on MEL When Sgfc Kvcpir got thftre ho act hifl rfjfo dam since 1»
m t of aanunitloi and got into th trench t o help C T ^ . Then 3S0 Thoaaa •
gb Hwpw a *fc5 col, p i s t o l i n caso he needed i t . Sgfc Ebcp$r s*t -Uw
piatol dfflfli eo that ha ifflja i i f t Qtflj with both hancto, but Juet wh«i I»a got
up be saw «n WA earn ftit of hevbora and ptint hij r i f l e a t Sgfc tiwper's hoadf
Baforo thn WA cîld jmll the trigger tlioiflh Sgt Hoopar hmi p i d » d yp the
and Maatod Ma, Thm he t f t * Grajr beck to a socme a » a ana oan» Tia^ t
ganlEe )iiB uen. Ve www a c t i n g up a l b » j w t beymmj the final bmifcpr l l a s s
and o » i ^ i i » wss & t i n caning in. But Sgt Hooper and 3 f t Urfwn spotted I t
and started firlue, Thso Sgb Ifaoper trwiod f W r t to t h » k the dusa&a and
found thrw HVA liflutehents with thedr heads Tdrid led by bqllflts; After that
wg morod <ît into the lioLl and pyebty woH eleaned up the area. Sgt
ft 2flt of tiua taking ftaifl ?r the winded uid f ijiaLly looted after hfct
after h* had Ida oen eottled down.
! Sgfc Joo- Jl Hopper in cm* day ecflanplishoij nore than I previously
have been dîs in a m^rth by cwo man. -Jlnd he dEid i t a l l whila
I t wasn't Just the aetuil nwnt of pflBiticns or^xmi and a*m& killed vEilch
.SspDrtpnt^ Tmt far aflrB 50 H&S thft fawtastlc inspiration he gaiw ovary man i n
the caessvy. I t ^43 hlj poraonal courage on any nimibflr of occ&slisitg that leapt
going Qgalnat a ma of the hoavifat fi™ I ha™ e
CEQRE/P/JSER
E
FCR GFFHSALliSE ORW

Eyewitness Statement of Lee Grimsley
Eyewitness Statement of Lee Grimsley, Second Lieutenant,

Company D, Second Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry, 101st
Airborne Division, ca. 03/12/1968

^^ • ri^ra • r n n ^ ^ ^ ^ •• n IBHÂH r^r^m
Oh 21 F*tohiMr 1?£S « » Dsliia Raldra v n n lnôl^d in a Joint assault

on a llorth Vietnaneee iflglmsntal b*se a » a a fW milflg mot of Hue, Company
n
D had tho mission of. assaulting a denae voodllna within whioh the enemy hod
built otrans burf»M ioturtinked toy trenches. Hy platoon iwt on the l e f t of
th» Mqfawj- on i t tdrooiuwd, and as we afprsached a river doae In J i m t of t i »
eo*ny lines we i*eiw taken under intensft fira fr«n ths encn^, Hafly of thft
cawoi-, trat Sgfc Keeper rallied several nfln aid attacked acrAaj the
intfl ths enfljuy X i » , T?]QSfl mpn cleared several bwltera on the
w»i inapirod tho r»at of the cempaq^ to ccntlnue the advenca, Troa
hope Sgt Hooper mflned axt amone th* thiok bsfflb« aiding wounted wd *vacuatin£
, lb «o dQltve he wa3 rauuted Mnself bj t l » nanj- arauwkje vhlflh wnra f a ^
In ths area. Vet he refused *™cuati«i and ttaataflnt uid returned t o the
•whara hs Qir^lclmndodlir attacked and *tiped out a trdple.fciirfc3r
Which had b « n firing yoeJwts into enr UJW3 + 3ta then rctamvud ami
Tflind, a number of men who htuJ gotten no fartiwr theoi the rival: b«ik» It? led thai
In a svreqp and overran aevwal BOIB bunkers. S#t Hooper pHrsonalJy knodud out
three housw and a Bhrfna i*ith LMsj each iJulliinE had been the soured gf con-
centrated fir* <ai air n u , At one pcint S^t Hoopar JtUJLeii a Htarth VitttnBtoeao
officer with his bayer.ai, Coxing b&ftk t s bring his BHMI fww&rd oga^fi I am/ that
his Hainda bed been eonpotuidod and urged hint %a movs t o the rear. But h* d e s i s -
ted. 3iipt*ad heaiOTOd ^ t alone agadjiat s. buildtliia which was iseuljig hoavy iira -•
at ou* man and MiininAtfld i t with hand flrwiadoo and rlflu Jire* As th* lino atf-
vanceti! a^t Hbopop mflTwi out ahead and dashed down a tw*u:hl±na roming in front
at four bunkers, toaalug erenades into then as ho went cy, thus killing a l l three
mcopt two vhai he oaptared vhnp
vhnp they
they aattoossee^^^^..^ b or tb&ir
' • * . •
FOR CFFICSAL USE . i
• .
• • .
(Continuation of EYEWITHSS ,
After clearing tfcrto bunkera £gt Hooper moved up t o cmotlrar onej one of the
t o hold mtj And started filing Into a mac tiino gun burit»T iuat a nhort di»-
*. HcwBwr he Ep£-irfinlly I«tfra6d tb*t t l » banter he VM firing ^K*H
s t i l l ociupicd a? he shortly threw a white phoaphotoas grcnaria into and th«i
I* £L» In** ths macliiflo gun bunker and tire bunksr adjacent i t j
fit* *f^Mtiv*lj r q^Dtirsd both burfwrs* Sgfc "ospjr epsnt the rQat of
oaring f°r the wounded and taking aur* they mre well tal^n caro of * lie
finally had Ma oXn vowute treated after everyone else was ta^cn care of;,
he s t i l l »fused t o be evacuated vfcila he orfaaised MA usn and preparod them
the naxt day'? £i£Hln£i Qnl2,r the mact mopoins did he aJlm Mrjil.f to be
I t la difficult t o adecpiatoly praise Sgb ttsoper for hi£ ructicna on thia dnjr. He
moj* aafltoj- pcoitions an* WUed mpje enauy soldiers by himself than
cl£±Dffd fftthtt end of thft dfiy, Ard i t is cflrtadn that
.^M, inapiratljcn and acAstns courage the,platoon and Btnraanyis auccoas K&uli
teen a great deal less than they warfl «id pasaio^ 1 mifiht hove been no au«eea at
all.
•„
FDRCFFKKAHBEOMY
Eyewitness Statement of Lonnie Thomas
Eyewitness Statement of Lonnie Thomas, Company D, Second

03/12/1968

EYIWITHE5S
' : • •
21 Fobmaiy 19SS, Co D V?01 lot (Kbn) w <na Search met

n, part cf Operation Jrib Stuart, t h n » kilomvtero notthwst of Hie,
South Vietiuun.
In the i n i t i a l phase of the action 3gt Joe H Hoapar, a r^nbsr of

the 1st Flitrtn of Cenpanj- E^ alone with Itv* fallow paratKMjMis, iv/iihc
ftrKprdrf^nipntnhilft th* r?st of the cenpoor ma Slntffd dfimi*
« i sse ing ens mm wcunded fltkl plmed dovaij, crawled under
vasmj fim and brought th» vfiundwl nan cut t o safety. Asain
aself t o automatic vsapaas fira tfid grenadea tie went to thft
o£ another Hcvn4ed eoldlcr and in brlaaiii^ him cub ms seriously
biB34lf. Befnetug medical *i4 on4 air ovacuatiffli, insisting he
iritli hlfl platoon, ho reorganized Ma u n , papeitBdl
t& enei^ f Uv, ^supplied m a , aid led tho attack
the platoon advanced a pitched battle enawd, the

'gfliiiifid «ccplex of ene=y OUEI»M
•
flanking firo on our farcee. i t cpo point Bgt Hooper

by an NfJL offlosr from a ounker on top of udijen Sgt Hooper was,:. .. •
at the enaay. But the offi&ortfl rlfla jMmed anil Sgfc Hooper
out of ahdno aa tha anmy triad to eeoape. But 5gt Hooper oboaed hia
down and stabbed bin with his
HA then hid his ncn cover he attacked a house whicJi

a necber of M1TA vho HSM J i « into the Delta
, Hamper got around to the stepped inside Just
Imldt fij•cd a burst from nl£ Khieh torfl Jnt& t a vail 2S93
than anilKh f i'On Si FK
|V
HDQI
• • h^^J
j
Kit f
'- .
of IffEHl?tiB3&
then emptied hie into the NVA

tossed a grenade, BJI<J gat out SB ttm explosion rocked the twu?a, Ko mare
fire case frun Lt4
taking more enemy positions they ftpno t o tho cntny

i*iaps a atmôni forco »fU3ed t o give up thi*ae
•
f ighfc cbwn ths tnany Iron the bunieievtiich rcaultdd In
All the otoorohad been kLUH,
Aft^r Qosine another man get hit clearing A trench* and tire
- . • -
down loss than four asters frou an or.uny buxikisTjS^t Hsopop, onso âjii
lila cmn safety, crawled t o the twnch and MJB flntcrlng i t
even ttuwdi his riflu- waa ffÂy+ I callaii to hlm.oni tosicd him a P4^
that ho "sight rtacd i t . Ho sfoner hpd hs.CBU^hD
• •
i t BM turned than he cams faoe t o face with îi HVA rii?ing a r i f l e t&-
HoDper'e head. 5gt Hooper djQizly Shot the nan dead with tfoJ p i i t i l
then tarried the wounded ran book to safety, next morning he wae
fron the
Hooper's petsmal had h great deal to

pi
Eyewitness Statement of Tex Gray
Eyewitness Statement of Tex Gray, Company D, Second Battalion

(Airborne), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, ca.
03/12/1968

OR CFFIClAL USE dr.LV X
Lato in the day of 21 February- whan OUT ewipany had cjoaiod much of
resistance and we lud approached their final linen I wsa moving in a
trying to clwe in on j bunker wh-in tnezy firs wounded ae in the
dor* The 4*ench waa 30 aarraw that the only vay I would have been able to
have bton by pushing up on. ths sboulldQr that wan wmitid«t» And 1
do this &o 1 va9 trapped and. tmstny fire w^s s t i l l casing In at r.&,
Just -ttiofc I aesf 3gt Hooper running across the Held tatvrd nc with bulbrba
hitting a l l oiound hini Vhen he got to ne he »gt his rLrld down and I noticed
i t vasci't even leaded, He got into tho tronch tfi help Be out ind the bullet*
w)M landing right next to us. Just tlwu aacccaift toas^d hjm a ^45 caliber pifi-
t o l and ho caught i t . But ha &et i t doHn sa that ha eculri litfc QQ up. Just as
lj a VHJ sprang up out of nmrtuere and aipiod h3fl rifle right-at S^Jt Hoopor'a
But Sg.t Hooper grabbed thfl piatol and shot the W aJwut rive tirae, TSo
,45 tore gaping holss in tl» VC nad -hh«* w^tnH snch left of Mm. Then Sgt
carried sue biek to aafaty after saving my
FCaOFFIHftL-USEOHLY .
Eyewitness Statement of William F. Aronow
Eyewitness Statement of William F. Aronow and Cleo C. Hogan,

Airborne Division, ca. 03/12/1968

:
GFflCttL USE
•
On a Fekmiai? 1968 Ccnûmy l> (3/501) wtf* aUackiftg e largo

ferae wall entrtmchsd bflhlnd h&my burifcer*, o i l linted by an
end eonpOAx tnsneh oy&bem bjr vhlah tlja enray tould bring dft«dly ng
flte aaqr attacking farce. Jiflunrdng psrfin#l to
»dlli» end Atnso, It y& uMle attemptix^ ta
•
c r « s tha Btwoa that the company epjtomjtBreJ saver? fire which

• ;<
i t * advance. At this jxsint Sgt Uoc^r r«dli«d

•
by Qoâdte^j exposing MJCBSIX t o finemy riro and lnsadtng sav*hil n»n

tha Jtxvau a^lnat the forward eoany positKm?* TJilo action
red a g*nGral mweioait and wu tMapndewly T49pan9ible for
e n t i r e CMBpflU^ fOTWHTtl,
v B
v fit Hooper mis ctm^tantly flxpraing hlnsflir eiren. afl tha fearful
v 11x6 ineteart6d as h& troouuted Komdcd, shifted nai, distributed

ffltnnnfcticm, and pointed ou* taxgtfto^ Ih the couroo of evacuating cna of
ton Sgt Hocîar woe woundBdj but he r&Atsed tirflt aid ajid
^lialdy rattinwd to his mffin> taking extra ousunitloi Tilth htm.
rcniLindtr &C the day Sgt Hooper Hafl
braving ltit«ns$ firtjand "ladling hlfl isen oirtr pooitian aft*r
ij nrel not îthcwt coat. Inevitably Sgt ttooper
nor* tlaea by srunanle- fr&gmesitfl, but ha penaiMd en
Mi did not vwa stop tfl have nip wousds treated* At one point ho
anCTBIEFsoldi* P vith tut* bayonet whan ha vaa aut r?f ammutlticiu
•&Hj Stfi Wocpap eait bo diinM-tly e-rettited: euoh of
of Belta Canpttnr duu to his great c-auriga,
iFFEIAL USE ^ ^
Executive Officer
Eyewitness Statement of William W. Erbach
Eyewitness Statement of William W. Erbach, Company D, Second

03/12/1968

tiff iCiAL US
KTBflTKESS STjtTQEOT
Sgt fiojpcr ma acting as squad lender of a 34104 in

(5/501) <*i SI February when tho battalion was Baking a a*nftral
aeeualt as port of Operation Jib Stuart near KV,Q atfaljut A fcrfcified
base c^pp, As Ca^mjiy D, ifaiah I ™s vlfit that dtay, IW*OBI|
In fr«nt of tt» enei^'s Unas thoy cam under traDendout fire and
to be pinrwd do*m vhan 3gfc Hoopflr get tip and lad his
3tn>sii tihdar sevaM ei»wy f Ira, Tfciii gat tft* enti r*
eocn Sgt Hooper Has seen mcndi^ out tlone undot the l'iro t o
back vcuiided i4m were pinned down* In tfolng tjils hjs va* vouixlea
but fou roftisod cvac-j-atipn end w&nfc bnpk t o hi? mon after cp-plyirLj]
t« his
UQ t<?olt tl» lead In prectlcallr svery assualt, fltonnlng bunkflia

and llHplrlne Cwvyttnuj ±n t]ic arta. He Ke3 woundtd by
labor but s t i l l peaadjwd in thft field, I nna later noujjdad by & ^
gunshot wound at clccv fflngs, Sgt Eocpar prevented the enc^- fran
killing me by npTilng to Dp position end flhoct-lng ti"-c Gnepy,. HD then
helped ca.rry me to tho i«ar> and after JEaldits suro I was well tansl.for
oor« return^ t o tt-.o
Ai J was tiring t o tottplr* th? men en the field I found

Hooper's tiaainfi bravery Had the gi'csttat inspiration
made hero out of timid mOn a* they rttoppted t o foUoK nia «CaHplet
X cirmct. hetLp but beldcvc Uiat rauh of the ctnpaiy's stieetss wnn
i-esultiiilt free tls gallantry ancj h&rOl£n of 3gt Hooper,
T1CIAL USE ONLY W* oncnTJik
2d Br. t AbtO SOO*t Inf
:
Situation Diagrams
Situation Diagrams Included in Case File for Congressional Medal

of Honor to be Awarded to Joe R. Hooper, Staff Sergeant,
Airborne Division, for actions at the Battle of Hue, 21 February
1968, ca. 03/12/1968
These diagrams depict the terrain through which Staff Sergeant Joe
R. Hooper passed on 21 February 1968, at the battle of Hue,
Republic of Vietnam. Ultimately, Hooper was awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor. In an extraordinary occurrence,
Staff Sergeant Clifford C. Sims of the same company earned the
Congressional Medal of Honor on the same day.
CF HAPS
. , : • : • . ' • • . - • • - ' . • • - • _ / . '. - . •
(1} 5gt Hooper find others lead attack and clear five
{2} $gt Hupw avoeuat«e wounded assistant j&Euhine gunner,
(3) 5gt Hooper i s wounded vhila evacuating uc-undfrd o&chlna
v
Sgt Hooper providftB coY^riiig fira as another nui cti?che ooarce of lira,
Sgt 33&aper air^liihandcdly olijuijiBtcn three cnaqy
(6J %b HaapAT fcfcutny ajud puts tan on lir.e.
(?) Tha ChapltLn ia wounded and Sgt Hoc-por k i l l ! tin of the three
He then assisted the Chaplain to ttis rear;
:
5gt Hooper lc^da sweep of ttia i r e s .
(9) Time NVA c » s » d the field and £&b
(10) 5gb Hnptf dcii-troyS house ind tvn crtc^y soldiers Vfith LrA
til) S^t Hooper destroys tvo DOT* liovses with li.A,N,s, killing
Egt Koqpsr mcives fornajTd to- dctcrjiinc result of flr««
%t Hooper leads sweep to m a l l Uuilwir Hns ¥
E^b Uo^par k i l l s iftTJL officer in hand to hand
(15) 3gt Hooper dears house irtth fire and grentfi
(16} Sgfr H-oopcr QlnglxinindlGdlT destroys four enen7 bunkers
(17) fllgb Hooper dÊtTt>ya harder «ri oc«^pa?it* with
IS) S£<b Hoop«r fciiift deforders of cnenp bunker w_th rifla
Hiwpet fciUs dflfflndsra of msciiiliia gun bututtr with r i f l e fire*

(20) Sgjl Doopar gaee to aid of mund«d nan and k i l l s HVA aolciicr with pistols
Sgt Hooper And f t w tefta 2ea.icr f i t * infcft trwdch and Icill 3 HTA
(22) Sjft Hooper organtacs final line before treating hie
;; .;; L i ; FOR OfFIGlf L USE ON.LY =
:-. • - . - • • • • •
"•' J
I
river j !
th
• • / • / / /
: y/TM-"
E"I1 • • . - •
^ v V V
r ~ | bunker I
KLV • * *
y,
•*«
<////y/
n
3
• f? >'--'\i-
JKMBBWI
^ river ; H
4 • F 1
trench
/ / / Wad & | '/.
•/./ /
a y
V
•• y
rica y . y
////////////////////// /f/7// <ZZZZZZZZZZZ7
. / '/'f. s i,
Y y
& v
0 hflirc
v rice r
^
T
zrn//.///////////WA/ / / 7??,
•*" * .v yS
^ y y N|
>r y y y
^ Y * +
v ^ ^ y
y ^ y r
^ . +- V ^ y
V V V
i •
/ n" ^ -.
MAP 7
CT";
v "•- •
J . .
• ^ " •
3 -•
/£ /A
v y
V V
±s_.; -t S- - -v.- -
I- '- r '.
Description of Terrain
Description of Terrain Included in Case File for Congressional

Medal of Honor to be Awarded to Joe R. Hooper, Staff Sergeant,
Airborne Division, for actions at the Battle of Hue, 21 February
1968, ca. 03/12/1968
This document describes the terrain through which Staff Sergeant

Joe R. Hooper passed on 21 February 1968, at the battle of Hue,
Republic of Vietnam. Ultimately, Hooper was awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor. In an extraordinary occurrence,
Staff Sergeant Clifford C. Sims of the same company earned the
Congressional Medal of Honor on the same day.
FOU OFFICIAL USE fti
T33EWJli JiHD
Ths- terrain through which 3gt liatper HaP forced t o mwieqrar during meet of
dftjrlfl fighting vaP tremandougly denaft, maie up for the most part of t r i e s ,
thiefc undftrgrflwth* and high bantooo tiena, tht letter reaching upwards of forty
feet* Where the bfli±iOi grew A anrlad of intertwining vlmftft blocked svety hope-
ful passage, and the vines were thicfc with thorns. To aovo a&aluet a li
undgr normal conditions vould be (wtranply d l f n c v l t j and t o do so in
vhi^ja «i tfoo offinsiTrt ageinst stpcsig enemy bunterfl would Imvfl &j5Ba«d
bla, Close around ercrj hcunc tho foil^go thinned cut eomqwhat, wud tho«
Occflaidrtal garden- of TKirled VHgiat3(l>3fi&< Fcirthtl- t* thft Iftft w&s A grewtt* of
sugar ouw wwl on ths rf^bfc slda of the hard dirt patb^ftiioli bisectfld the area
was ideo aftar A certain distance VOwre there vaa na rice ttiere wafl no l
ther^ was stirub growth- Itowever 90f£ of Sgt Htm-irtr's attlenaa mare pgrfoirsd
in the dense wooda jind
Ih rront of tho WQodline ran. a fairly v e i l kept road^ be hir.d nhioh
trench which rwi "tho length of t l » woodliiia, and within the trwich w r e
ppKSmatc ly o v « y a i t fKwt, These wtro the flrat c ^ t a e ^ s Sgfc
to owrcaM vtien ho cr«so4 the BtTeam* Jlnd T*midjig poiTrtaditular to those
at vaiTins intervals war* rows of bunTcftra extending the depth &f th& wood.
Theae butikere w«» made of natural matariQls, bostly dug into the grc^nd with
boiibM plecad an. top, OTOP this voaHA be pieced dried clny and then another
ep of oambo* end i t l i l aora clay- The bunltoirj T*ere all connected by narrow
trenches + The eneany had also fortified most of the houses in tha nroa; these ha-i
desortcd by tho local villas^ro **hen th& HVA moved in. The enemy had. l
such things B& ehxlnefr to their advantage end tiieir OV«NJ1 d f
w auch that they cculd cco^tdnually f a l l tads t y at«e«3 i f hard
Shis in fact they did t*> fitaa ajdrtitj tut Sgt Hooper's actions t
boforo they could utiU«e thia plan*
3h front of the wn*dline no morenthan thirtyy meters wa» tha otrean. Jill i t s
approaches nsre eov&red by enflnj' £lre ± end. i t was diffioult t o trass in any
Tbja atwom w&s flgoprtKimately thirty fnet wifle and in coat places vp t o JIT* feot
Ch every side oif ths we?<i i«r* oj*p i i c * piddle^ enabliAg the enia^ to ob-
tain ^^TTrtim fields of fire and 6oservati<n* Thus the i n i t i a l approach was ren-
der*d most difficult, though not aa difficult afl t t miît have been as tho $rt*iziA
opposite the BtT&am frentii^ the voodlinje was slightly c-levotfld, sod while the
attocldng force WHS aff oideet no particular advantage 'by thi3 due t o the conceal-
ment of the enemy positiona* tho defenders wwra n<rt efl ehXe as tlisy oi^ht hare
boon t o render effective fire on thn approaching f o w w .
Draft of Citation
Draft of Citation for Congressional Medal of Honor to be Awarded

to Joe R. Hooper, Staff Sergeant, Company D, Second Battalion
(Airborne), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, for actions at
the Battle of Hue, 21 February 1968, ca. 03/12/1968
This draft describes the actions of Staff Sergeant Joe R. Hooper on

21 February 1968, at the battle of Hue, Republic of Vietnam.
Ultimately, Hooper was awarded the Congressional Medal of
Honor. In an extraordinary occurrence, Staff Sergeant Clifford C.
Sims of the same company earned the Congressional Medal of
Honor on the same day
FCfi OFFICIAL USE
EPJUJttCEHr OF THE
3D BJVPTALICW tAEN) JOIST
ED BHJCAKE lOfST AlSBOflHE DIVISION
JtPO S a n
CITATION
AWARD OP TEE 0G5BHEBSKWAL MEDAL OF
JOS ft HOOFER, UNITED SPATES ARHTj DJSTEJGtFISEED HEfiELF ST CONSPICUOUS
AND iwrnEPiDiry J T THE MSJC CF HJS ixre ;,B>WE Ann HEHCHD T I E CALL OF
FEBEMIM 19^8 WHU£ SLBJUTIHG JS& SOlAD LEfJIEH WITH Ca<PJiMT J>f 2HD
(iilBBOHNE) 5O1fiT EtfiLtfTR^ l O ^ T AUffiOflHB D1VISIGN. (KWFAHI D W/3
A H3/kVH3f EEFEHDED EMEHT P f f i n i f l ^ WlEU IT EHCOJHERECi A W^KEEllHS HI'JL
OP F I I E FRCM RDCKÎS^ KftOHlKE CWB, JJID JW^CMfillC UE/iPCGS, HUCW CF THE
V^S F i m E D DC«H BT Tffl3 FIEBCE f l S E , BUT SEBÂWT HOOPER RftLUED SSVER/J, HEH
STOPJ--D /J3WSS THE RlTERj OVBRKUroflHG THE BUHKEie OP TflE OFFOSITE.SEMStE. TKIS
JIEPIKED, TH3 R^T OP TEE COHFAHI WVED TO TIE .'LTTACHJ W4D / 5 XT GAINED KOMEBr;&J
THE EWEMC FIJffi IMCERJSEE, TOUKDHKJ /. KUMHEH OF HEW. WITH UTTER DJSEEGtftD Ffflt HIS
SJfJETT, SEEOE^Wr HOOPER MOVED OUT UHDES THE IlWEieE FIRS MJAIH .UID
HJLLIMG BACK Tlffi mUKEED /JO) HOSING TtiEH TO SJlFrTY. IN t f E H1C<^33
HIMSELF SERXOOELY WOUM^j BUT HS REFUSED HEDUCitL
XUfflttlflG BACK TO HIS MStt HATING APPLIED JV KJVK^HIFT B/iNDACE TO- ICES HOuMp.^ "WXTH
/ ELENTUBSS-EHEMf FIRE 5L0WTHG TKS JVETACK, SERGEiHT tKOQffiHMlCUTED OUT CH- HIS OHK TH
. . • ;
1
J
. ' THE FJtCE OF THIS FIHE / J O S MGLEKANlEEO" 3TOBHED THIEE EtGJfl1 Dli
/ / n u n * ^,™ . TT .,^ « « ™ llî
' THEM WITHHJU© C-IJÂDBS AKD J t H I £ F E E * HE THEH 3HCJT /JflJ KJ
2HSMT -SOlbdEK W10 HftD JTTACKBO /JflJ HOUSTEO THE'CRJinJilH. LEAD; "KG H15 HEH FG:W&£
SEnHEiOT EWOFEfl OVEfiHitfr SEVERAL MCRE EÎTIOMS ;>ID THEN n ^ T
:H(X3t:;3 HffiKT RIFIEffiH. J l . T l O S POdMT HS WJS J.TTJiCKEO BT.'jt
'"OFFiCEtt WHOM SEHJEJSOT HOOFER KILLED HI1H.H33 BLTJONEF JM F i = * TO
FIHtlltM KJ3 WEH UHDSS SEVEfffi PUffi F K H Jl HOUSE TO TiE FitOMT^ SEEGE/Jir POOFSji
• "-:-:r- ?URLîCiALiiSi:QI-lli
• • . • • . . _
F08 GEflCMilS^ a
H0VS3) CMP AIX&5 TQ ELîLTJAIE IKE TlflE^flND' 'DIDSO', EftE/luHlO INTO THE FtCUSE
THE OCHIPAMS WTM RI7LB FIEE AMD G-ffiHAEES. A5 H E StSTAD REACHED TEE
FIHAL L E E OF ErtEMT HESJ5TJIiIC£ THHf FOURD TIE FIBE CCMB» HWW SEVERAL
TOHE IK UME OK THEDt W T , TO BE tfi/JZLY (JlENCtfRfiBLE.
SEVERAL 1MHD t?aStf;£iiS AND THEM RAJCEO DOHJI A SHBlt TEEBCH WHIGH jyiK THE
CF THE 3UHKEH H U E , KESIHG CSEtfiU)© 3OTO EACH EtWKER i!0 HE F/BBED B I ,
DESTECK1M; THEM B » KULIJIG JILL Elff TWO CF THE OCCtltAHlSj
CAPTURED HMING BEEH BADO WDUlttED. WHH TKE3E
00M3EmJUHED CH THE L/ffT SSTORfX BUHKEffi B l WME FACING EOS HEW. HE J^mTCED THE
7JS&S WTTH m XHOESiDIARY GHEHJlIE AUD IHKH XLnm&SB TTO KOBE, CHS A H/JCKCIE GUW
BUKKEB, ET RIFLE FlflB- I E ^THEjf ftMED 7,fiE3Si-i AH ORB» FIBLS, STILL UTffiBi EHEHX FIKE>
TO RE&CWE A HOUHIBD HJttl WHO Wl£ TRAPPED IK A TRENCH, OH EEJWHBK? THE HUT
HOOFEli tfJi& JtTTACMED B* Jl WOfiTH VEEf!)JlffiSE SOlEJEH WHOM HE KIIIED WITH A
HE THEH MOTED TH£ WVMED MflH TO S/LFEEI JIMD RHUBMED TO HI3 KEM^ THOUGH WDUMDED
H B 6 E U SEraRAL TIME3 HOflfi SIHCE HE Wtf PlffiT H J t . BIJOiT/JlHfl THE FINAL
OF EEEtff RE3n3TANCE, BEEGEilHP HOOPER KE1ED THSEE MDiaK TJE^HAHESB 0FF1CEH3
FIRE* HAVING ISBOHSD HIS PJlIHFUL WffJJIDS AMD LOSS OF B I J X O THBOUGHOUT
, SEBGEAtfF HfiOTai ST1IJ. REFUSED TREJ^MENTj Fii£H;2 CEOT/JK THM HIS MHIj
THE 'rfCUMEB, WESE WEIL CjjHED FOR. HE TIEH EST/lBUSHSD A F3JIAL LIME ^J
KI3 HEN^ HOT A&CEPT1H& TUMTMHfT TIHP11 THIS W S AWCMPLEHED,
NOT UHTIL THE I^XT HORimK THfiT SEHQEAMF KH7£Q dOtSStlFSO TO 3Si;:c
H E SUPREME WJifll flM» 3MSFXEOna IEJJEB3HIP, COUPLED WICH HES HEROIC
MATURE iHD A FDSBCE GOTOTXGOT TO Blfifij VfAS 3Ji?E'jrLV BESPClBlBLE PCE )hVCH OF THE
OOfPAHT'S SEKCESS /ND PHOlTlDED A LJSTIMG EX,'iHPlE JH ESffiOHAJ, COUILM^ TOR
-ON THE FIELD, 3EHGBAWT HOOPER'S OOBSPICUDtlS GALXANTIffl JlHD iKJfP^fjLLITY ja; THE
OF HIS U E E IS- IM KEBPK& V l t H THE HL3HEST TRflDTIlOfS CF TEE i
HIFLECT3 GBE/J CflPBIF UPOH HUSfit? AKD TH5 AJfflED FORCB; OP H B
FG8 LfFiCiAL USE DULY

Joe Hooper (Medal of Honor) - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Hooper_(Medal_of_Honor)
Joe Ronnie Hooper (August 8, 1938 – May 6, 1979) was an American

Joe Ronnie Hooper
who served in both the United States Navy and United States Army where
he finished his career there as a captain. He was awarded the Medal of
Honor while serving as an army staff sergeant on February 21, 1968 during
the Vietnam War. He was one of the most decorated U.S. soldiers of the
war and was wounded in action eight times.
Born August 8, 1938

Early life and education Piedmont, South
Career Carolina, U.S.
U.S. Navy Died May 6, 1979
U.S. Army (aged 40)
Later life and death Louisville,
Military awards Kentucky, U.S.
Medal of Honor citation Buried Arlington National

Cemetery, Arlington
See also
County, Virginia,
Notes
U.S.
References
Allegiance United States
External links
of America
Service/ United States
branch Navy
United States
Hooper was born on August 8, 1938 in Piedmont, South Carolina. His Army
family moved when he was a child to Moses Lake, Washington where he Years of 1956–1959 (USN)
attended Moses Lake High School. service 1960–1978 (USA)
Rank Petty officer
third class (USN)
Captain (USA)
Unit 2nd Battalion,
U.S. Navy
501st Airborne
Hooper enlisted in the United States Navy in December 1956. After
Infantry, 101st
graduation from boot camp at San Diego, California he served as an
Airborne Division
Airman aboard USS Wasp (CV-18) and USS Hancock (CV-19). He was
honorably discharged in July 1959, shortly after being advanced to petty Battles/wars Vietnam War (WIA)
officer third class.
1 of 6 4/9/2018 7:02 AM
U.S. Army Awards Medal of

Honor
Hooper enlisted in the United States Army in May 1960 as a private first
Silver Star (2)
class, and attended Basic Training at Fort Ord, California. After graduation,
Bronze Star
he volunteered for Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia and then was
(6) w/ "V" Device
assigned to Company C, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 325th Infantry,[1] 82nd
Purple Heart
Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was promoted to
(8)
corporal during his assignment. He then served a tour of duty in South
Air Medal
Korea with the 20th Infantry in October 1961 and shortly after arriving he
was promoted to sergeant and was made a squad leader. He left Korea in
November 1963 and was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas for a year as a squad leader and
then became a squad leader with Company D, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 502nd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division at
Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was promoted to staff sergeant in September 1966 and volunteered for service in South
Vietnam. Instead he was assigned as a platoon sergeant in Panama with the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry,
first with HQ Company and later with Company B.
Hooper couldn’t stay out of trouble and suffered several Article 15 hearings, being reduced to the rank of corporal in
July 1967. He was promoted once again to sergeant in October 1967, and was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion
(Airborne), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell and deployed with the division to Vietnam in
December as a squad leader. During his tour of duty with Delta Company (Delta Raiders), 2nd Battalion (Airborne),
501st Airborne Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, he was recommended for the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions
on February 21, 1968 outside of Hue.
He returned from Vietnam and was discharged in June 1968. He reenlisted in the Army the following September, and
served as a public relations specialist. On March 7, 1969, he was presented the Medal of Honor by President Richard
Nixon during a ceremony in the White House. From July 1969 to August 1970, he served as a platoon sergeant with
the 3rd Battalion, 5th Infantry in Panama. He managed to finagle a second tour in Vietnam; from April to June 1970,
he served as a pathfinder with the 101st Aviation Group, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), and from June to
December 1970, he served as a platoon sergeant with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne
Division (Airmobile). In December 1970, he received a direct commission to second lieutenant and served as a
platoon leader with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) until April 1971.
Upon his return to the United States, he attended the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning and was then
assigned as an instructor at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Despite wanting to serve twenty years in the Army, Hooper was
made to retire in February 1974 as a first lieutenant, mainly because he had only completed a handful of college
courses beyond his GED. As soon as he was released from active duty, he joined a unit of the Army Reserve's 12th
Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Washington as a Company Executive Officer. In February 1976, he transferred to
the 104th Division (Training), also based in Washington. He was promoted to captain in March 1977. He attended
drills only intermittently and was separated from the service in September 1978.
For his service in Vietnam, the U.S. Army also awarded Hooper two Silver Stars, six Bronze Stars, eight Purple Hearts,
the Presidential Unit Citation, the Vietnam Service Medal with six campaign stars, and the Combat Infantryman
Badge. He is credited with 115 enemy killed in ground combat, 22 of which occurred on February 21, 1968. He became
one of the most decorated soldiers in the Vietnam War, and was one of three soldiers who were wounded in action
eight times in the war.
2 of 6 4/9/2018 7:02 AM
Rumors persist that he became distressed by the anti-war politics of the time and took to excessive drinking which
contributed to his death.[2] He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Louisville, Kentucky on May 6, 1979, at the age of 40.
Hooper is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 46, adjacent to the Memorial Amphitheater.
Hooper's military decorations and awards include:
Combat Infantryman Badge
Silver Star
Medal of Honor
w/ 1 bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star Purple Heart

with Valor device and 1 silver oak leaf with 1 silver and 2 bronze oak leaf Air Medal
cluster clusters
Army Good Conduct Medal

Army Commendation Medal Navy Good Conduct Medal
3 bronze Good conduct loops
Vietnam Service Medal

National Defense Service Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal w/ 1 silver and 1 bronze campaign
stars
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry Republic of Vietnam Campaign Navy Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon
w/ Palm Medal w/ "E" Device
Army Presidential Unit Citation
Vietnam Presidential Unit Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit
Citation Citation Citation
3 of 6 4/9/2018 7:02 AM
Expert Marksmanship Badge

Master Parachutist Badge Vietnam Parachutist Badge
w/ 1 weapon bar
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company D, 2d Battalion

(Airborne), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: Near Hue,
Republic of Vietnam, February 21, 1968. Entered service at: Los Angeles, Calif.
Born: August 8, 1938, Piedmont, S.C.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk

of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Staff Sergeant
(then Sgt.) Hooper, U.S. Army, distinguished himself while
serving as squad leader with Company D. Company D was
assaulting a heavily defended enemy position along a river
Medal of Honor bank when it encountered a withering hail of fire from rockets,
machine guns and automatic weapons. S/Sgt. Hooper rallied
several men and stormed across the river, overrunning several
bunkers on the opposite shore. Thus inspired, the rest of the
company moved to the attack. With utter disregard for his own
safety, he moved out under the intense fire again and pulled
back the wounded, moving them to safety. During this act
S/Sgt. Hooper was seriously wounded, but he refused
medical aid and returned to his men. With the relentless
enemy fire disrupting the attack, he single-handedly stormed
3 enemy bunkers, destroying them with hand grenade and
rifle fire, and shot 2 enemy soldiers who had attacked and
wounded the Chaplain. Leading his men forward in a sweep
of the area, S/Sgt. Hooper destroyed 3 buildings housing
enemy riflemen. At this point he was attacked by a North
Vietnamese officer whom he fatally wounded with his bayonet.
Finding his men under heavy fire from a house to the front, he
proceeded alone to the building, killing its occupants with rifle
fire and grenades. By now his initial body wound had been
compounded by grenade fragments, yet despite the multiple
wounds and loss of blood, he continued to lead his men
against the intense enemy fire. As his squad reached the final
line of enemy resistance, it received devastating fire from 4
bunkers in line on its left flank. S/Sgt. Hooper gathered
several hand grenades and raced down a small trench which
ran the length of the bunker line, tossing grenades into each
bunker as he passed by, killing all but 2 of the occupants.
4 of 6 4/9/2018 7:02 AM
With these positions destroyed, he concentrated on the last bunkers facing his
men, destroying the first with an incendiary grenade and neutralizing 2 more by
rifle fire. He then raced across an open field, still under enemy fire, to rescue a
wounded man who was trapped in a trench. Upon reaching the man, he was
faced by an armed enemy soldier whom he killed with a pistol. Moving his
comrade to safety and returning to his men, he neutralized the final pocket of
enemy resistance by fatally wounding 3 North Vietnamese officers with rifle fire.
S/Sgt. Hooper then established a final line and reorganized his men, not
accepting treatment until this was accomplished and not consenting to
evacuation until the following morning. His supreme valor, inspiring leadership
and heroic self-sacrifice were directly responsible for the company's success and
provided a lasting example in personal courage for every man on the field.
S/Sgt. Hooper's actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military
service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.[3]
Genealogy Link wikitree: [1] (http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hooper-3173)

List of Medal of Honor recipients
List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War
Joe Ronnie Hooper Monument (http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=40128), Piedmont, S.C.
1. http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0325in001bn.htm
2. Anderson, Rick (April 10, 2003). "A Crippled Home Front". Seattle Weekly. Article posted on Captain Hooper's
Arlington National Cemetery profile (http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jrhooper.htm). Accessed on 2006-07-10.
3. "Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients" (http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/Vietnam-a-l.html). Medal of Honor
citations. United States Army Center of Military History. August 3, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
"Joe Ronnie Hooper, Captain, United States Army" (http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jrhooper.htm). Arlington

National Cemetery. Retrieved 2006-07-09.
Media related to Joe Hooper at Wikimedia Commons

Works related to Joe Hooper at Wikisource
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joe_Hooper_(Medal_of_Honor)&oldid=830507471"
This page was last edited on 15 March 2018, at 08:04.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
5 of 6 4/9/2018 7:02 AM

Congressional Medal of Honor CMH Joe Ronnie Hooper, SoldierUSA With Gov Official Document

Încărcat de

Informații document

Titlu original

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Congressional Medal of Honor CMH Joe Ronnie Hooper, SoldierUSA With Gov Official Document

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Joe Ronnie Hooper, Captain, United States Army http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jrhooper.

Captain, United States Army

Photos Courtesy of the Home of Heroes

25 years later, a tribute

In sports, a three-pointer at the buzzer is called heroic.

In Hollywood, a visit to Ground Zero is called brave.

In Moses Lake, reminders of others' patriotism and heroism are

Hooper does have more medals than both of them, though. In

Let me rephrase that. No man in the history of American

Ever since his remains were placed under a small marker at

For some of Hooper's friends and fellow soldiers, however, this

Because Joe R. Hooper was a good soldier fighting an unpopular

If this sounds too hawkish, I apologize. I am not trying to put

In a city that prides itself in putting up yellow ribbons to honor

A Crippled Home Front

6-footer and former Washington state football scoring champ at

In the end, it was Joe Hooper who needed to be rescued. From

between bouts, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gave him

More Patients, Less Money

The future looks even worse: A House Budget Committee is now

For decades, vets say, they've watched their benefits fade in

A week ago, the president summoned leaders from veterans

Is anyone surprised? Slashing the VA budget is almost a

volcanic sand there. He never got diddly out of the VA in

Past Wars, Future Patients

Other generations of vets are trying to resurrect their own lost

war channels, describes the government's history of handing out

Based on his reading of government studies, Hackworth says

uranium, have rained down since Operation Iraqi Freedom began.

Washington's congressional delegation, whose districts

conservatives for voting against the Gulf War II resolution, was

VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi promises better days, and

During my visit to the VA hospital, I went looking for Joe

Born at Piedmont, South Carolina, August 8, 1938, he earned the

His citation reads:

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of

company was assaulting a heavily defended position along a

He was presented with the Medal by President Richard Nixon at

He died of natural causes on May 6, 1979 after his return home

Photo courtesy of Raymond L. Collins

Photo Courtesy of Russell C. Jacobs, March 2006

This eyewitness statement contains evidence of the actions

on lins ws morud outflweopdnethe

H»per l y hlo b n ^ and tcqiBgaaus actions kept the Delta

Eyewitness Statement of Edward J. Pettit, Jr., Company D, Second

This eyewitness statement contains evidence of the actions of Staff

FCS OFFICIAL USE o;;u

Eyewitness Statement of George Parker, Company D, Second

This eyewitness statement contains evidence of the actions of Staff

F (jR LffiCIAL USE 6&Y

novod ahnad of hia aott s t this point to analyso tho situation:

FOR OFFlClftl! USE

the iaft nmnljcie perpendicular to the Una *f advance, Thai? wap a

m t of aanunitloi and got into th trench t o help C T ^ . Then 3S0 Thoaaa •

gb Hwpw a *fc5 col, p i s t o l i n caso he needed i t . Sgfc Ebcp$r s*t -Uw

ganlEe )iiB uen. Ve www a c t i n g up a l b » j w t beymmj the final bmifcpr l l a s s

after h* had Ida oen eottled down.

! Sgfc Joo- Jl Hopper in cm* day ecflanplishoij nore than I previously

have been d^is in a m^rth by cwo man. -Jlnd he dEid i t a l l whila

going Qgalnat a ma of the hoavifat fi™ I ha™ e

FCR GFFHSALliSE ORW

Eyewitness Statement of Lee Grimsley, Second Lieutenant,

This eyewitness statement contains evidence of the actions of Staff

gb Hwpw a fc5 col, p i s t o l i n caso he needed i t . Sgfc Ebcp$r st -Uw