Melvin Earl Newlin – Medal of Honor – Vietnam War – July 4, 1967

Name: Melvin Earl Newlin

Rank: Private First Class
Conflict: Vietnam War
Unit: Company F, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein), FMF
Date of Action: July 3–4, 1967
Location: Nong Son Outpost, Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam

Summary of Action:
At just 18 years old, PFC Melvin Newlin was manning a defensive machine gun position at the remote Nong Son Outpost in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam, when a large Viet Cong force launched a coordinated pre-dawn attack. Mortars and infantry stormed the hill. Four of Newlin’s fellow Marines were killed in the first minutes of the assault, and he himself was critically wounded. But Newlin refused to die quietly.

Bracing himself against his gun, he laid down a stream of accurate fire, repelling multiple waves of enemy fighters. Wounded again by small-arms fire and later knocked unconscious by a grenade, he was presumed dead and bypassed as the enemy pushed deeper into the perimeter. Against all odds, he regained consciousness, crawled back to his weapon, and opened fire on the enemy from behind, disrupting their assault and buying precious time for the Marines inside the perimeter.

When Viet Cong fighters attempted to turn a captured 106mm recoilless rifle against the very Marines they had failed to dislodge, PFC Melvin Newlin—gravely wounded and presumed dead moments earlier—recognized the new threat instantly. Crawling back into position behind his machine gun, he pivoted his fire and unleashed a deadly burst that tore into the enemy crew, halting their efforts and denying them a powerful advantage. This decisive action not only saved lives but also prevented the enemy from breaching the inner defenses of the outpost.

Infuriated by his resistance, the Viet Cong regrouped and launched two more direct assaults on Newlin’s lone position. Despite multiple gunshot wounds, blood loss, and the agonizing toll of his injuries, he continued to man his weapon with grim determination. His machine gun rattled defiantly into the night, cutting down attackers and sowing chaos among their ranks. He fought until his ammunition was nearly gone and his strength began to fade—yet he remained at his post, refusing to surrender an inch of ground.

By the time PFC Newlin was finally silenced, the momentum of the enemy assault had been shattered. His solitary stand bought critical time for the rest of his company to regroup, establish new fields of fire, and beat back the secondary attack. He had faced overwhelming odds with unbreakable courage, and in doing so, turned the tide of the battle. His last moments were not defined by retreat, but by the resolute will of a Marine who chose to stand his ground and fight to the end for his brothers in arms.

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 a machine gunner attached to the 1st Platoon, Company F, 2d Battalion, on 3 and 4 July 1967. Pfc. Newlin, with 4 other marines, was manning a key position on the perimeter of the Nong Son outpost when the enemy launched a savage and well coordinated mortar and infantry assault, seriously wounding him and killing his 4 comrades. Propping himself against his machinegun, he poured a deadly accurate stream of fire into the charging ranks of the Viet Cong. Though repeatedly hit by small-arms fire, he twice repelled enemy attempts to overrun his position. During the third attempt, a grenade explosion wounded him again and knocked him to the ground unconscious. The Viet Cong guerrillas, believing him dead, bypassed him and continued their assault on the main force. Meanwhile, Pfc. Newlin regained consciousness, crawled back to his weapon, and brought it to bear on the rear of the enemy, causing havoc and confusion among them. Spotting the enemy attempting to bring a captured 106 recoilless weapon to bear on other marine positions, he shifted his fire, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy and preventing them from firing the captured weapon. He then shifted his fire back to the primary enemy force, causing the enemy to stop their assault on the marine bunkers and to once again attack his machinegun position. Valiantly fighting off 2 more enemy assaults, he firmly held his ground until mortally wounded. Pfc. Newlin had single-handedly broken up and disorganized the entire enemy assault force, causing them to lose momentum and delaying them long enough for his fellow marines to organize a defense and beat off their secondary attack. His indomitable courage, fortitude, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of almost certain death reflect great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.