Wesley L. Fox
Wesley Lee Fox (September 30, 1931 – November 24, 2017) was a retired United States Marine Corps colonel with 43 years of service. Fox received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War, and was thought to be one of the Marine Corps' legendary heroes.
| Wesley Lee Fox | |
|---|---|
 Colonel Wesley L. Fox, U.S. Marine Corps | |
| Born | September 30, 1931 Herndon, Virginia |
| Died | November 24, 2017 (aged 86) Blacksburg, Virginia |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1950–1993 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines 1st Battalion, 9th Marines MAG-11 MCRD San Diego 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company Marine Air Detachment SHAPE Basic School, Quantico |
| Commands held | Company A, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines Battalion Commander, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, Commanding officer, U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School, Quantico, Virginia |
| Battles/wars | Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
| Other work | Deputy Commandant of Cadets at Virginia Tech Marine Corps Recruiter |
Early life
Fox was born in Herndon, Virginia. He studied at Warren County High School. He married Dotti Fox in the 1950s.
Service
Beginning in September 1967, Fox served in the Vietnam War for 13 months as an executive officer of a South Vietnamese Marine Battalion.[1] In November 1968, he was reassigned to Vietnam as the company commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines until May 1969.
On February 22, 1969, during Operation Dewey Canyon in Quang Tri Province, he was wounded twice. He was wounded the first time in the shoulder when his company was attacked by a large enemy force. A first lieutenant at the time, Fox then personally neutralized one enemy emplacement and directed his company to destroy others. After his company's executive officer was mortally wounded, he continued to direct the company's actions, ordering air strikes and coordinating the advance until the enemy retreated; Fox, the only officer left in his company that was capable of resisting the enemy, was wounded again in the final assault, but refused medical attention while he reorganized his troops and prepared the wounded for evacuation.
For his heroic actions that day he was presented the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon on March 2, 1971.[2]
Later life
Fox retired from the Marine Corps as a full colonel in September 1993 at the mandatory age of 62. Fox has written a book about his experiences in the military, Marine Rifleman: Forty-Three Years in the Corps (ISBN 1-57488-425-5), and was featured on the 2003 PBS program American Valor.
Fox died in Blacksburg, Virginia in the evening of November 24, 2017 at the age of 86.[3]
References
- says, Sir Robert James Fogarty II (12 March 2012). "Interview - MoH recipient and author Wesley Fox". HistoryNet.
- Smith, Charles (1988). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: High Mobility and Standdown 1969. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. p. 365. ISBN 978-1494287627.
- "Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient Wesley Fox dies at 86". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on 2017-11-27. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
Other websites
Media related to Wesley L. Fox at Wikimedia Commons
- "Colonel Fox's Medal of Honor citation".
- "Interview at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library".
- "Medal of Honor recipients". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. August 3, 2009. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2010.