Peter S. Connor

He held a faulty grenade to save Marines deployed around him

Peter Spencer Connor was born in Orange, New Jersey, on 4 September 1932. He completed high school in 1950 and enlisted in the Marine Corps in February 1952. He served in Korea with the 5th Marines from August 1952, returning to the United States in October 1953. After reserve service, he reenlisted in the regular Marines in 1961 and served at Quantico and Camp Pendleton before returning overseas.

Connor served as a Marine staff sergeant in Company F, 2d Battalion, 3d Marines, 1st Marine Division. On 25 February 1966, in Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam, he led his platoon through an area of caves and tunnels under intermittent fire. Preparing to attack an enemy emplacement, he discovered that his grenade’s fuse had activated despite holding its safety device. With nearby Marines at risk and insufficient time to reach the target, he held the grenade against his body. Mortally wounded, he spared his comrades from injury or death. He died aboard the hospital ship USS Repose on 8 March 1966. His family received his posthumous Medal of Honor at the White House on 2 May 1967. He is buried in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego.

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against enemy Viet Cong forces at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Leading his platoon on a search-and-destroy operation in an area made particularly hazardous by extensive cave and tunnel complexes, S/Sgt. Connor maneuvered his unit aggressively forward under intermittent enemy small-arms fire. Exhibiting particular alertness and keen observation, he spotted an enemy spider hole emplacement approximately 15 meters to his front. He pulled the pin from a fragmentation grenade intending to charge the hole boldly and drop the missile into its depths. Upon pulling the pin he realized that the firing mechanism was faulty, and that even as he held the safety device firmly in place, the fuse charge was already activated. With only precious seconds to decide, he further realized that he could not cover the distance to the small opening of the spider hole in sufficient time, and that to hurl the deadly bomb in any direction would result in death or injury to some of his comrades tactically deployed near him. Manifesting extraordinary gallantry and with utter disregard for his personal safety, he chose to hold the grenade against his body in order to absorb the terrific explosion and spare his comrades. His act of extreme valor and selflessness in the face of virtually certain death, although leaving him mortally wounded, spared many of his fellow marines from death or injury. His gallant action in giving his life in the cause of freedom reflects the highest credit upon the Marine Corps and the Armed Forces of the United States.