One of the most poignant tales of Christian sacrifice to come out of the Vietnam War is Joseph LaPointe Jr. Medal of Honor narrative. For his selfless deeds on the battlefield, U.S. Army combat medic Joseph G. LaPointe Jr. (July 2, 1948–June 2, 1969) received the nation’s highest military honor posthumously.
Joseph G. LaPointe Jr.
Joseph G. LaPointe Jr., who goes by “Guy” with his family, grew up in Dayton, Ohio. He relocated to Clayton, which is close by, and worked as a mail carrier in Englewood after graduating from Northridge High School in 1966. LaPointe loved hiking and the outdoors.
LaPointe declared himself a conscientious objector after being conscripted in 1968. While undergoing training at the Army Medical Training Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, he married Cindy Failor of Dayton, Ohio, at the Englewood First Baptist Church in Ohio. In November 1968, he was deployed to Vietnam as a combat medic.
He was a Specialist 4 in the 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division by June 2 of the following year. That day, he took part in Operation Lamar Plain, a patrol atop Hill 376 in Quảng Tín Province. Joseph G. LaPointe Jr. dashed through the automatic weapon fire to reach two wounded guys at the head of the patrol after his unit was heavily fired upon by entrenched enemy forces and suffered multiple casualties. Even after suffering two wounds, he continued to heal the soldiers and protect them with his body until an enemy grenade killed them all. In January 1972, he received the Medal of Honor posthumously for these deeds. The Silver Star, Bronze Star, and National Defense Service Medal are among his other honors. The Joseph LaPointe Jr. Medal of Honor citation, which describes him as a healer who used his body as a shield rather than a soldier with a rifle, best conveys the full significance of what he accomplished.
He departed with a “widow, Cindy LaPointe Dafler, and son Joseph G. LaPointe III, who never met his father.”
Joseph LaPointe Medal of Honor Citation
The Joseph LaPointe Jr. Medal of Honor citation, issued officially by the U.S. Army, describes his final moments in detail:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. SPC4. LaPointe, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2d Squadron, distinguished himself while serving as a medical aidman during a combat helicopter assault mission. SPC4. LaPointe’s patrol was advancing from the landing zone through an adjoining valley when it suddenly encountered heavy automatic weapons fire from a large enemy force entrenched in well fortified bunker positions. In the initial hail of fire, 2 soldiers in the formation vanguard were seriously wounded. Hearing a call for aid from 1 of the wounded, SPC4. LaPointe ran forward through heavy fire to assist his fallen comrades. To reach the wounded men, he was forced to crawl directly in view of an enemy bunker. As members of his unit attempted to provide covering fire, he administered first aid to 1 man, shielding the other with his body. He was hit by a burst of fire from the bunker while attending the wounded soldier. In spite of his painful wounds, SPC4. LaPointe continued his lifesaving duties until he was again wounded and knocked to the ground. Making strenuous efforts, he moved back again into a shielding position to continue administering first aid. An exploding enemy grenade mortally wounded all 3 men. SPC4. LaPointe’s courageous actions at the cost of his life were an inspiration to his comrades. His gallantry and selflessness are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
Honors
LaPointe has been honored with the names of several structures:
- Fort Campbell, Kentucky’s housing and hospital complex.
- Heliport for medical purposes near Fort Moore, Georgia.
- Riverside, Ohio is home to the Army Reserve Center. At a ceremony held at the LaPointe Army Reserve Center in Riverside on June 2, 2009, the 40th anniversary of his passing, LaPointe’s widow and son received the Medal of Honor banner.
- “Joseph G. LaPointe Jr. Memorial Highway” is the designation given to a section of Ohio State Route 49 in Montgomery County.
The Joseph LaPointe Jr. Medal of Honor is a symbol of what faith looks like in the face of adversity, not just a military award. Guy LaPointe entered the conflict armed solely with medical supplies and his Christian conviction that human life is sacred. He didn’t battle to kill; rather, he fought to preserve the lives of others, and in doing so, he gave his own life. Despite never having known his father, Joseph G. LaPointe III bears the burden of a name that symbolizes one of the best times in American history. His narrative serves as a reminder to Christians that true courage is the presence of love, which is the same love spoken of in John 15:13, rather than the absence of fear: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Guy LaPointe should be honored for living that verse on Hill 376.
