Wesley L. Fox

He Led the Final Assault After Being Wounded Twice

Wesley Lee Fox was born on 30 September 1931 in Herndon, Virginia. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1950 and deployed to Korea as a rifleman. Over the next sixteen years he served in enlisted roles including rifleman, drill instructor, recruiter, and military police officer. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1966 and became a company commander in Vietnam.

On 22 February 1969, First Lieutenant Fox commanded Company A, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, in the A Shau Valley of Quang Tri Province. When the company came under intense fire from a concealed enemy force, Fox was wounded but continued to direct his Marines. He advanced through fire, neutralized an enemy position, coordinated air support, and reorganized the company after his executive officer was mortally wounded. Wounded again in the final assault, he refused medical attention and supervised the care and evacuation of casualties.

Medal of Honor Citation Summary (Paraphrased): Fox continued commanding after being wounded, personally attacked an enemy position, coordinated support, and led his company through a final assault that overcame resistance and destroyed a bunker complex. He then remained to organize the defense and casualty evacuation.

Fox received the Medal of Honor from President Richard Nixon at the White House on 2 March 1971. After 43 years of Marine Corps service, he retired as a colonel in 1993. He later served as deputy commandant of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and wrote Marine Rifleman: Forty-Three Years in the Corps. He died in Blacksburg, Virginia, on 24 November 2017.