Robert Martin ‘Bob’ Patterson
U.S. Army/Vietnam
A
21- year - old B ob P atterson
stood at attention on the east
lawn of the White House, he
listened to President Richard Nixon
read out his Congressional Medal of
Honor citation.
He was being recognized “for
conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity
in action at the risk of his life above
and beyond the call of duty” — yet he
had little memory of the actions that
would lead to his receiving the nation’s
highest military award.
Patterson, born April 16, 1948,
in Durham, South Carolina, enlisted
in the Army and was deployed to
Vietnam. A specialist fourth class at
the time, he distinguished himself
there while serving as a fire team
leader of the 3d Platoon, Troop B,
during an assault against a North
Vietnamese Army battalion which
was entrenched in a heavily fortified
position.
On May 6, 1968, the leading
squad of the 3d Platoon was pinned
down by heavy interlocking automatic
weapon and rocket propelled grenade
fire from two enemy bunkers near
La Chu. Patterson and the two other
members of his assault team moved
forward under a hail of enemy fire
to destroy the bunkers with grenade
and machine-gun fire. His last clear
memory for the following four hours
was of his platoon sergeant lying
severely wounded just feet from one
of the bunkers. Based on reports,
Patterson then saw his comrades were
being fired on from a third enemy
bunker covered by enemy gunners in
one-man spider holes. With complete
disregard for his safety and ignoring
the warning of his comrades that he
was moving into a bunker complex, he
assaulted and destroyed the position.
Although exposed to intensive
small arm and grenade fire from the
s
“His dauntless courage and heroism inspired his
platoon to resume the attack and to penetrate
the enemy defensive position.”
bunkers and their mutually supporting
emplacements. Patterson continued
his assault upon the bunkers which
were impeding the advance of his unit.
Patterson single-handedly
destroyed by rifle and grenade fire five
enemy bunkers, killed eight enemy
soldiers and captured seven weapons,
his citation noted.
“His dauntless courage and
heroism inspired his platoon to
resume the attack and to penetrate
the enemy defensive position,” the
citation went on to note.
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M E D A L O F H O N O R 2020