Medal of Honor: Lawrence Joel – Vietnam War – November 8, 1965
Amidst a jungle ambush that left nearly every man in his company wounded, one medic refused to fall. Specialist Sixth Class Lawrence Joel fought the enemy with bandages and courage—saving lives through 24 hours of unrelenting fire.
November 12, 2025
Name: Lawrence Joel
Rank: Specialist Sixth Class (then Specialist Fifth Class)
Organization: U.S. Army, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade
Place and Date: Republic of Vietnam – 8 November 1965
Entered Service At: New York City, New York
Born: February 22, 1928 – Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Departed: February 4, 1984
Accredited To: North Carolina
General Orders No.: 15, War Department, April 5, 1967
Summary of Action
On November 8, 1965, Specialist Lawrence Joel was serving as a medic with the 173rd Airborne Brigade during a ferocious Viet Cong ambush in the jungles of Vietnam. In minutes, the lead squad was devastated—nearly every man hit by automatic fire from a concealed enemy.
Ignoring the deadly barrage, Joel rushed forward to reach the fallen. Moving from man to man, he patched wounds and gave morphine, steadying his comrades even as bullets tore through the brush. A burst of machine-gun fire struck his right leg, but Joel refused evacuation. He bandaged his own wound, injected morphine, and continued treating others, shouting encouragement to those still able to fight.
As enemy fire intensified, Joel raised plasma bottles high with one hand while kneeling in the open, utterly exposed to the incoming rounds. Struck again, this time in the thigh, he dragged himself through the mud to reach more of the wounded. Over the next 24 hours, he treated at least 13 men, improvising when his supplies ran out—using a plastic bag to seal a chest wound and save a soldier’s life.
Even as the Viet Cong assault was repelled and snipers harassed the unit through the night, Joel refused to stop. Only when ordered did he allow himself to be evacuated. His calm heroism under impossible fire transformed chaos into survival, and his compassion became an enduring symbol of courage in the Vietnam War.
Medal of Honor Citation
Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 8 November 1965.
Entered service at: New York City, N.Y.
Born: 22 February 1928, Winston-Salem, N.C.
G.O. No.: 15, 5 April 1967.
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp6c. Joel demonstrated indomitable courage, determination, and professional skill when a numerically superior and well-concealed Viet Cong element launched a vicious attack which wounded or killed nearly every man in the lead squad of the company. After treating the men wounded by the initial burst of gunfire, he bravely moved forward to assist others who were wounded while proceeding to their objective. While moving from man to man, he was struck in the right leg by machine gun fire. Although painfully wounded his desire to aid his fellow soldiers transcended all personal feeling. He bandaged his own wound and self-administered morphine to deaden the pain enabling him to continue his dangerous undertaking. Through this period of time, he constantly shouted words of encouragement to all around him. Then, completely ignoring the warnings of others, and his pain, he continued his search for wounded, exposing himself to hostile fire; and, as bullets dug up the dirt around him, he held plasma bottles high while kneeling completely engrossed in his life saving mission. Then, after being struck a second time and with a bullet lodged in his thigh, he dragged himself over the battlefield and succeeded in treating 13 more men before his medical supplies ran out. Displaying resourcefulness, he saved the life of 1 man by placing a plastic bag over a severe chest wound to congeal the blood. As 1 of the platoons pursued the Viet Cong, an insurgent force in concealed positions opened fire on the platoon and wounded many more soldiers. With a new stock of medical supplies, Sp6c. Joel again shouted words of encouragement as he crawled through an intense hail of gunfire to the wounded men. After the 24 hour battle subsided and the Viet Cong dead numbered 410, snipers continued to harass the company. Throughout the long battle, Sp6c. Joel never lost sight of his mission as a medical aidman and continued to comfort and treat the wounded until his own evacuation was ordered. His meticulous attention to duty saved a large number of lives and his unselfish, daring example under most adverse conditions was an inspiration to all. Sp6c. Joel’s profound concern for his fellow soldiers, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
