Howard V. Lee

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Howard Vincent Lee
2nd Battalion 4th Marines
Battles/warsVietnam War
AwardsMedal of Honor
Bronze Star with valor device(2)
Purple Heart

Lieutenant Colonel Howard Vincent Lee (August 1, 1933 – March 23, 2019) was a United States Marine Corps officer who received the Medal of Honor for heroism in August 1966 during the Vietnam War.

Biography

Howard Lee was born on August 1, 1933, in

U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.[1]

In September 1955, he entered the 14th

Officer Candidates' Course, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia, and upon completing the course the following December, was commissioned a Marine Corps Reserve second lieutenant. Lieutenant Lee completed The Basic School, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, in July 1956 and the Marine Corps Supply School, Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, that September.[1]

Upon completion of these courses, he was transferred to the Marine Corps Supply Activity, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for duty as Field Inspection Officer, Field Inspection Section, and later, Officer in Charge, Audit Section. He was promoted to first lieutenant in June 1957, and integrated into the Regular Marine Corps in January 1958.[1]

Detached from the Supply Activity in September 1958, he was ordered to the West Coast, and served briefly as Troop Handler, 1st Replacement Battalion, Staging Regiment,

3rd Marine Division, serving in this capacity until June 1959.[1]

First Lieutenant Lee next served as the Battalion S-4 Officer with H&S Company,

3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, San Francisco, California. In February 1960, he was assigned duty as Guard Officer at the Marine Barracks, U.S. Naval Propellant Plant, Indian Head, Maryland.[1]

After his promotion to captain on July 1, 1961, he was assigned duties as Platoon Commander and, later, Instructor, The Basic School, Marine Corps Schools in Quantico, where he remained until June 1964.[1]

From July 1964 until February 1966, Capt Lee was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, serving first as Commanding Officer of Company A,

2nd Marine Division. During the latter period, he served aboard the USS La Salle (LPD-3), and in the Dominican Republic.[1]

Vietnam War — 1st tour
Ordered to the
U.S. Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland. In November 1966, he returned to duty at Headquarters Marine Corps and assigned duty as TO/MOS Coordinator and, later, Assistant FMF Readiness Officer in the Operation Section, G-4 Division. He was promoted to major in July 1966.[1]

On October 25, 1967, Major Lee was presented the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon Johnson in a ceremony at the White House.

Vietnam War — 2nd tour
Following this assignment, Maj Lee completed the Command and Staff College, Quantico, Virginia, in June 1970, then returned to the Republic of Vietnam for his second tour of duty. For his service as Executive Officer, Provisional Headquarters and Service Company and with the 2nd Combined Action Group, III Marine Amphibious Force, he earned a Gold Star in lieu of a second Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V".[1]

He was promoted in July 1972 to lieutenant colonel and retired in 1975 from the Marine Corps.[1]

Lee died on March 23, 2019, aged 85.[3]

Awards and honors

Lee's awards include:

A light blue ribbon with five white five pointed stars
V
Gold star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Silver star
Bronze star
Medal of Honor
valor device
Purple Heart Combat Action Ribbon Navy Presidential Unit Citation National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal w/ 2 service stars
Vietnam Gallantry Cross
w/ 1 silver & 1 bronze star 		Vietnam Campaign Medal

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to

MAJOR HOWARD V. LEE
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 as Commanding Officer, Company E,

grenade in several areas of his body, including his eye, Major Lee continued undauntedly throughout the night to direct the valiant defense, coordinate supporting fires, and apprise higher headquarters of the plight of the platoon. The next morning he collapsed from his wounds and was forced to relinquish command. However, the small band of Marines had held their position and repeatedly fought off many vicious enemy attacks for a grueling six hours until their evacuation was effected the following morning. Major Lee's actions saved his men from capture, minimized the loss of lives, and dealt the enemy a severe defeat. His indomitable fighting spirit, superb leadership, and great personal valor in the face of tremendous odds, reflect great credit upon himself and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.[4]

/S/ LYNDON B. JOHNSON

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

Inline
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Lieutenant Colonel Howard Vincent Lee, USMC, Retired". Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
  2. ISBN 978-1494285159
    .
  3. ^ Smith, Harrison. "Howard Lee, Medal of Honor recipient who led a long-odds defense, dies at 85". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Maj Howard V. Lee, Medal of Honor, 1966, 4/3, Viet Nam (Medal of Honor citation)". Marines Awarded the Medal of Honor. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 2007-03-05. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
General

External links

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