Medal of Honor Roll Call: Richard David Dewert

Dear Readers,
This week, we feature one of those men of the battlefield for whom no praise is high enough – the men who deliver medical aid under fire. In every conflict they are there; setting aside personal safety in the rush to provide humanitarian aid and comfort, not for glory or honor, but for duty and human concern. My own step-father served as a Corpsman in Korea and knew the meaning of those days all too well.

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RJL

dewert

Richard David Dewert

Rank and organization: Hospital Corpsman, U.S. Navy. Hospital Corpsman attached to Marine Infantry Company,
1st Marine Division.
Place and date: Korea, 5 April 1951.
Entered service at: Taunton, Mass.
Birth: Taunton, Mass.

Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a HC, in action against enemy aggressor forces. When a fire team from the point platoon of his company was pinned down by a deadly barrage of hostile automatic weapons fired and suffered many casualties, HC Dewert rushed to the assistance of 1 of the more seriously wounded and, despite a painful leg wound sustained while dragging the stricken marine to safety, steadfastly refused medical treatment for himself and immediately dashed back through the fireswept area to carry a second wounded man out of the line of fire. Undaunted by the mounting hail of devastating enemy fire, he bravely moved forward a third time and received another serious wound in the shoulder after discovering that a wounded marine had already died. Still persistent in his refusal to submit to first aid, he resolutely answered the call of a fourth stricken comrade and, while rendering medical assistance, was himself mortally wounded by a burst of enemy fire. His courageous initiative, great personal valor, and heroic spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds reflect the highest credit upon HC Dewert and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

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