Richard De Wert

He crossed open ground four times to aid his wounded Marines

Richard David De Wert was born in Taunton, Massachusetts, on 17 November 1931. He enlisted in the Navy in December 1948, trained as a hospital corpsman and served at the naval hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. In July 1950 he joined the Fleet Marine Force for service in Korea.

With the 1st Marine Division he landed at Inchon, helped liberate Seoul and served through the Wonsan landings, Chosin Reservoir fighting and Hungnam evacuation. On 5 April 1951, with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, he repeatedly entered exposed ground to assist wounded men. Wounded in the leg during his first rescue, he refused treatment and returned for another casualty. A further trip brought a shoulder wound. Answering a fourth call for help, he was killed while treating a Marine.

De Wert was nineteen. His mother received his posthumous Medal of Honor in May 1952. The guided-missile frigate USS De Wert later carried his name.

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an HC, in action against enemy aggressor forces. When a fire team from the point platoon of his company was pinned down by a deadly barrage of hostile automatic-weapons fire and suffered many casualties, HC Dewert rushed to the assistance of one of the more seriously wounded and, despite a painful leg wound sustained while dragging the stricken marine to safety, steadfastly refused medical treatment for himself and immediately dashed back through the fire-swept area to carry a second wounded man out of the line of fire. Undaunted by the mounting hail of devastating enemy fire, he bravely moved forward a third time and received another serious wound in the shoulder after discovering that a wounded marine had already died. Still persistent in his refusal to submit to first aid, he resolutely answered the call of a fourth stricken comrade and, while rendering medical assistance, was himself mortally wounded by a burst of enemy fire. His courageous initiative, great personal valor, and heroic spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds reflect the highest credit upon HC Dewert and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.