Word Celebrity Blog

Wesley Lee Fox

Wesley Lee Fox was born to John Wesley and Desola Lee (née Crouch) Fox, on September  30, 1931, in Herndon, Virginia. He is the oldest of ten children. Wesley Fox grew up on a farm along the Shenandoah River in northern Virginia.  His father was a bricklayer.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps shortly before his 19th birthday, on August 4, 1950. After basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina, as a rifleman in the infantry he was sent him Korea.

Wesley Fox spent the Korean War lugging a Browning Automatic Rifle from one battle to another. His combat included duty with a rifle squad in 3d Battalion, 5th Marines, Korea, 1951, where he fought in the Pohang Guerrilla Hunt, Operations Killer and Ripper, and the advance to the Punchbowl. He was

wounded in action during the Korean War on September 8, 1951, but returned for a second tour of duty in Korea as a Platoon Sergeant. For over sixteen years he worked his way through all of the enlisted ranks from the lowest private to First Sergeant.He served 16 years as an enlisted man. He was a military policeman, a recruiter, and a drill instructor.

Wesley Fox wrote: "The power that a DI [drill instructor] enjoyed in the early fifties was not healthy for the Marine Corps."  Events would prove him correct. Six marine recruits died in April 1956 after a drill instructor marched his platoon into Ribbon Creek.

Wesley Fox was also an expert diver and parachutist and served multiple tours in force reconnaissance units.

 After his Korean War service, Fox returned to the United States and served as both a drill instructor and recruiter. He was promoted to First Sergeant in May 1966, and soon after was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.


























Wesley Lee Fox served in his second war in Vietnam.

When he went to Vietnam as an adviser to the South Vietnamese Marines; he stayed with them through the Tet Offensive of 1968. He liked the indigenous troops but felt that their idea of warfare tended to be “search-and-avoid.”

















He signed on for another tour of duty in Vietnam with the Ninth Marines. He was a First Lieutenant in command of a company in the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines (1/9).  The men of 1/9 called themselves the "Walking Dead", a nickname that proved all too realistic during one of the Marine Corps' last major offensives of the Vietnam War.  Lieutenant Fox was serving his second tour of duty in his second war, when he lead the "Walking Dead" of his company during Operation Dewey Canyon. 

During the course of the three month operation, x's gallantry in Quang Tri Province during Operation Dewey Canyon


























In late February 1969, First Lieutenant Fox was the commander of a Marine rifle company that was part of Operation Dewey Canyon in the A Shau Valley near the Laotian border. He and his men had been in the area for more than a month, sporadically engaging North Vietnamese troops, when, on February 21, the battalion commander ordered LieutenantFox to go down into the valley to determine if an enemy force was attempting to recover a pair of 155 mm guns that American forces had captured earlier and, if so, to do something about it.

Around noon the next day, Lieutenant Fox’s company, understrength with only ninety men and lacking a mortar platoon, located a large force of well-concealed North Vietnamese regulars behind strong defensive positions. Fox quickly made a plan “to go right at them.” As he was getting ready, a rocket-propelled grenade exploded nearby, its shrapnel hitting him in the shoulder. Though bleeding heavily, he moved forward through heavy machine-gun fire. As he studied the battlefield, a sniper firing from a tree killed one of his Marines, then shot at Fox but missed. Fox picked up the fallen American’s rifle and killed the sniper before he could fire again.

Realizing that if he tried to break contact with the enemy, he would be exposing his men, Lieutenant Fox committed his reserve platoon to support the company’s two assault platoons in a "do or die" maneuver. As he gave directions to his reserve platoon commander, a mortar round exploded, wounding him and seriously injuring the platoon commander. Lieutenant Fox then directed his executive officer to take the reserve platoon forward. Within five minutes, the executive officer was killed by machine gun fire. With all company officers now dead or wounded, Lieutenant Fox was now in complete charge. He continued to direct his Marines as they neutralized the enemy force.

The darkness of the  overcast afternoon prevented Lieutenant Fox from calling in air support. After some time, the sky briefly cleared and two planes were able to take out one of the machine gun nests that was blocking their advance. Having been wounded in action, along with almost every other member of his unit, Despite his wounds, Lieutenant Fox continued to lead his Marines in battle.

Lieutenant Fox continued to direct the actions of his Marines, ordering air strikes and coordinating the advance until the enemy retreated. The North Vietnamese troops began to pull back, and Lieutenant Fox established a defensive position and prepared his casualties for evacuation, while refusing medical aid himselffor his wounds in the final assualt.  11 of his men had been killed in action, and 58 had been wounded.  Alpha Company had suffered 75% casualties. The enemy had left behind 105 dead.The actions of Lieutenant Fox were rewarded with our Nation's highest award for military heroism, the Medal of Honor.  His award was presented to him at the White House in 1971, by President Richard M. Nixon.  By the time he recieved his award, Wesley Fox had risen to the rank of Captain.


























Colonel Wesley Lee Fox retired, only after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 62.  By that time he had served 43 years in uniform. He retired from active duty in the Marine Corps, in September 1993. He continued to wear the uniform for eight more years as he served as a deputy commandant of cadets for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. During his time at Virginia Tech, until his retirement in 2001 Colonel Fox spoke of his experiences to America's next generation of military officers, business executives, and civic leaders.


























Wesley Fox has written a book about his experiences in the military,"Mar ine Rifleman: Forty-Three Years in the Corps" (ISBN 1-57488-425-5), and was featured on the 2003 PBS program "American Valor".  He describes what it means to be a Marine better than any slogan or advertising campaign ever could.




























Decorations
In addition to the Medal of Honor, his medals and decorations include:
Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V”,
Navy Commendation Medal with one Gold Star,
Purple Heart with three Gold Stars,
Combat Action Ribbon,
Presidential Unit Citation,
Good Conduct Medal with four Gold Stars,
National Defense Service Medal with one Bronze star,
Korean Service Medal,
Bronze Stars, the United Nations Service Medal,
Vietnam Service Medal,
Silver Star and one Bronze Star in lieu of subsequent awards,
two Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry,
Vietnamese Honor Medal 1st Class,
Vietnamese Unit Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Korean Presidential Unit Citation
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.



























The Medal Of Honor

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to CAPTAIN WESLEY L. FOX, UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS for service as set forth in the following










CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as commanding officer of Company A, in action against the enemy in the northern A Shau Valley. Capt. (then 1st Lt.) Fox's company came under intense fire from a large well concealed enemy force. Capt. Fox maneuvered to a position from which he could assess the situation and confer with his platoon leaders. As they departed to execute the plan he had devised, the enemy attacked and Capt. Fox was wounded along with all of the other members of the command group, except the executive officer. Capt. Fox continued to direct the activity of his company. Advancing through heavy enemy fire, he personally neutralized 1 enemy position and calmly ordered an assault against the hostile emplacements. He then moved through the hazardous area coordinating aircraft support with the activities of his men. When his executive officer was mortally wounded, Capt. Fox reorganized the company and directed the fire of his men as they hurled grenades against the enemy and drove the hostile forces into retreat. Wounded again in the final assault, Capt. Fox refused medical attention, established a defensive posture, and supervised the preparation of casualties for medical evacuation. His indomitable courage, inspiring initiative, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of grave personal danger inspired his marines to such aggressive action that they overcame all enemy resistance and destroyed a large bunker complex.

Capt. Fox's heroic actions reflect great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps, and uphold the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.