Melvin E. Newlin

Private First Class Melvin Earl Newlin (September 27, 1948 – July 4, 1967) was a

Melvin Earl Newlin was born on September 27, 1948, in the town of Wellsville, Ohio. He graduated from Wellsville High School on June 6, 1966.

On July 18, 1966, Newlin enlisted in the

Upon graduation in September 1966, he was transferred to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and underwent infantry training with the 2nd Infantry Training Battalion, 1st Infantry Training Regiment and then completed special weapons training.

In October 1966, he was assigned duty as a

He was buried with full military honors at Spring Hill Cemetery in Wellsville, Ohio.

Awards and decorations

His medals and decorations include:

Medal of Honor citation

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

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 a machine gunner attached to the First Platoon, Company F, Second Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division, in the Republic of Vietnam on 3 and 4 July 1967. Private Newlin with four other Marines, was manning a key position on the perimeter of the

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, Private 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 machine gun position. Valiantly fighting off two more enemy assaults, he firmly held his ground until mortally wounded. Private 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 reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service

.

/S/ RICHARD M. NIXON

In memory

• Newlin Hall in Quantico, Virginia, named in honor for PFC Newlin.^[1]
• A 5.3 mile stretch of Ohio State Route 7, between East Liverpool and Wellsville, was formally dedicated on June 6, 2004, as the Melvin E. Newlin Memorial Highway.^[2]
• The name Melvin E. Newlin is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial ("The Wall") on Panel 23E, Row 005.^[3]
• "Melvin E Newlin" Chow hall in 62 area San Mateo,
  2nd Battalion 5th Marines.^[4]

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War

References

Inline

General

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

• "Private First Class Melvin Earl Newlin, Who's Who in Marine Corps History, History Division, United States Marine Corps. Retrieved on 2007-09-05". Retrieved October 4, 2010.
• "Medal of Honor citation. Retrieved on 2006-07-02". Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
• Simonich, Milan (November 11, 2004). "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette remembrance of 'the Marine who wouldn't quit'". Retrieved October 4, 2010.