The One-Man Army Who Earned the Medal of Honor, 2 Silver Stars, 6 Bronze Stars, 8 Purple Hearts, and Had 115 Confirmed Kills
History
By Matt Fratus | September 03, 2020
Staff Sgt. Joe Ronnie Hooper knelt down near the bank of a 20-foot-wide stream just outside the perimeter of a heavily defended Vietcong bunker complex. For the past month, the US Marines had engaged in vicious firefights against a determined enemy in an effort to capture Huế, the ancient city in central Vietnam, during the Tet Offensive of 1968. The 29-year-old red-haired squad leader of the Delta Raiders, formally known as Company D, 2nd Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, waited in silence as their element maneuvered to commence the assault.
The Viet Cong, however, were alert and immediately opened fire on the first sighting of an American soldier. A barrage of small arms fire, automatic weapons, and rockets rained down on their positions.
Despite bullets violently skipping across the stream, pinning down the rest of his element, Hooper pushed forward, which inspired five paratroopers to follow behind in the face of danger. Hooper took off at a sprint to overtake five enemy bunkers on the opposite shore armed with his rifle, a pistol, and a pocket full of hand grenades.
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@rangerrebewTaking nothing away from this man,then staff sergeant Robert Howard was put in for a Medal of Honor THREE times in 13 months. He finally got it the 3rd time,and would have almost certainly got it the first time if he hadn't been involved in covert operations inside Laos and Cambodia.
The way that worked,if one of our covert guys was put in for a medal,they looked around for a US unit that was in combat with the NVA somewhere along the border on the same day,and wrote it up like our guys were working inside VN with that conventional unit.
BTW,it was a commonly held belief by everyone that knew him that he earned a MoH all three times.
After the 3rd time,the camp commander made him 1st Sergeant of Recon Company,and ordered him in front of witnesses to not go on any missions anymore.
He did get it the 3rd time,along with a direct commission to 1st Lt,and retired as a Full Colonel.
Bob was someone you needed to know to believe. He lived and breathed "US Army" and dedication to duty every waking moment,and anyone under his command that didn't deliver 100 percent every day needed to QUICKLY find another command to serve under. Bob did NOT play well with slackers. If you always did your duty to the best of your ability,you were golden with him. If you were a slacker,you needed to find somewhere to hide until you could catch an airplane going away from Kontum.
BTW,IIRC,Bob ended up with a Medal of Honor and TWO DSC's. This was in addition to at least one Silver Star and several Bronze Stars for Valor.
Off duty,Bob was a very soft-spoken man and friendly to everyone regardless of rank as long as he thought they were being the best soldiers they knew how to be,regardless of if they were a Master Sergeant in operations,or a E-4 working in the motor pool.
I think it was during Bubba's last year as President that you can see Bob helping him place a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. By that time cancer had eaten him alive,and he was a mere shadow of the man he had been. It wasn't long after that before he died.
