Medal of Honor: Lloyd G. McCarter – U.S. Army – World War II

Name: Lloyd G. McCarter
Rank: Private
Branch: U.S. Army
Unit: 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment
Place: Corregidor, Philippine Islands
Entered Service At: Tacoma, Washington
Born: 11 May 1917, St. Maries, Idaho
G.O. No.: 77, 10 September 1945

Summary of Action

Private Lloyd G. McCarter was serving as a scout with the 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment during the daring airborne assault to retake the fortress island of Corregidor in February 1945.

Shortly after the initial parachute landing on 16 February, he crossed 30 yards of open terrain under intense enemy fire and, at point-blank range, destroyed a Japanese machinegun position with hand grenades.

On 18 February, he killed six enemy snipers who were harassing friendly positions. That evening, when a large hostile force attempted to bypass his company, he voluntarily moved into an exposed position and opened fire, breaking up the maneuver. Throughout the night, the enemy repeatedly assaulted his position. By 0200 hours, every soldier around him had been wounded—but Pvt. McCarter remained.

Shouting encouragement to his comrades and defiance to the enemy, he deliberately exposed himself to locate hostile troops and poured devastating fire upon them. He crawled back repeatedly under fire to obtain more ammunition. When his submachine gun failed, he seized an automatic rifle and continued firing until it became too hot to use. He then picked up an M-1 rifle and pressed the fight.

At dawn, the enemy renewed their assault. Standing fully exposed to hostile fire to identify the most dangerous positions, Pvt. McCarter was seriously wounded. Though he had already killed more than 30 enemy soldiers, he refused evacuation until he had pointed out immediate objectives for the counterattack.

His sustained heroism and indomitable fighting spirit were instrumental in securing his company’s position and contributed significantly to the recapture of Corregidor.

Medal of Honor Citation

McCARTER, LLOYD G.

He was a scout with the regiment which seized the fortress of Corregidor, Philippine Islands. Shortly after the initial parachute assault on 16 February 1945, he crossed 30 yards of open ground under intense enemy fire, and at pointblank range silenced a machinegun with hand grenades. On the afternoon of 18 February he killed 6 snipers. That evening, when a large force attempted to bypass his company, he voluntarily moved to an exposed area and opened fire. The enemy attacked his position repeatedly throughout the night and was each time repulsed. By 2 o’clock in the morning, all the men about him had been wounded; but shouting encouragement to his comrades and defiance at the enemy, he continued to bear the brunt of the attack, fearlessly exposing himself to locate enemy soldiers and then pouring heavy fire on them. He repeatedly crawled back to the American line to secure more ammunition. When his submachine gun would no longer operate, he seized an automatic rifle and continued to inflict heavy casualties. This weapon, in turn, became too hot to use and, discarding it, he continued with an M-1 rifle. At dawn the enemy attacked with renewed intensity. Completely exposing himself to hostile fire, he stood erect to locate the most dangerous enemy positions. He was seriously wounded; but, though he had already killed more than 30 of the enemy, he refused to evacuate until he had pointed out immediate objectives for attack. Through his sustained and outstanding heroism in the face of grave and obvious danger, Pvt. McCarter made outstanding contributions to the success of his company and to the recapture of Corregidor.