Medal of Honor, Robert E. O’Malley, Vietnam War, August 18, 1965

Name: Robert E. O’Malley
War: Vietnam War
Date: August 18, 1965

Summary of Action

In the summer of 1965, Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment were engaged in fierce fighting near the hamlet of An Cu’ong 2, south of Da Nang. The Viet Cong had prepared well-fortified trench positions, waiting for the Marines to advance across open rice paddies.

Sgt. Robert O’Malley, then a Corporal leading a squad from Company I, charged forward with complete disregard for his own safety. Racing across exposed ground, he leapt into the enemy trench line and fought hand-to-hand, killing eight Viet Cong with his rifle and grenades. He then led his Marines to support a nearby unit under heavy attack, reloading his weapon and firing with deadly effect as he pressed the fight.

Despite being wounded three times, O’Malley personally evacuated his injured men, regrouped his squad, and brought them back into the fight at the heaviest point of contact. When ordered to withdraw, he gathered the survivors of his battered squad and boldly led them through fire to the helicopter evacuation zone. Refusing to be evacuated himself until every one of his Marines was aboard, he stood exposed, firing at the enemy until the last of his wounded was safe. Only then did he allow himself to be carried out.

His gallantry and refusal to abandon his men made him a symbol of Marine leadership and sacrifice in Vietnam.

Medal of Honor Citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the communist (Viet Cong) forces at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. While leading his squad in the assault against a strongly entrenched enemy force, his unit came under intense small-arms fire. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Sgt. O’Malley raced across an open rice paddy to a trench line where the enemy forces were located. Jumping into the trench, he attacked the Viet Cong with his rifle and grenades, and singly killed 8 of the enemy. He then led his squad to the assistance of an adjacent marine unit which was suffering heavy casualties. Continuing to press forward, he reloaded his weapon and fired with telling effect into the enemy emplacement. He personally assisted in the evacuation of several wounded marines, and again regrouping the remnants of his squad, he returned to the point of the heaviest fighting. Ordered to an evacuation point by an officer, Sgt. O’Malley gathered his besieged and badly wounded squad, and boldly led them under fire to a helicopter for withdrawal. Although 3 times wounded in this encounter, and facing imminent death from a fanatic and determined enemy, he steadfastly refused evacuation and continued to cover his squad’s boarding of the helicopters while, from an exposed position, he delivered fire against the enemy until his wounded men were evacuated. Only then, with his last mission accomplished, did he permit himself to be removed from the battlefield. By his valor, leadership, and courageous efforts in behalf of his comrades, he served as an inspiration to all who observed him, and reflected the highest credit upon the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.