18 August

Robert Emmett O’Malley is born on 3 June 1943 in New York City and is raised and attends school in the Woodside, Queens section of the city. O’Malley graduates from high school in 1961 and enlists in the United States Marines Corps soon after-all three of his brothers also served in the Marine Corps. Coincidentally, O’Malley grew up with Lance Corporal Thomas Patrick Noonan, Jr., who would also be awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam, albeit posthumously. The two attend school and church together and are friends throughout childhood. After Noonan’s death in Vietnam, O’Malley remains in contact with the Noonan family and visits Noonan’s mother every year on Memorial Day.
Enlisting in the Marine Corps on 11 October 1961, O’Malley completes recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina and then transfers to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Serving with the 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, he is promoted to private first class in May 1962. The following year, O’Malley arrives on Okinawa, Japan as a member of the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. While here, he is promoted to lance corporal in March 1963, and to corporal in November. O’Malley returns to Camp Pendleton in 1964 as a member of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines. In October 1964, he is awarded a Good Conduct Medal upon completing three years of satisfactory service in the Marine Corps.
 
As a squad leader in India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, O’Malley is sent to Vietnam in 1965, arriving at the Chu Lai Marine Corps base in May. Three months later, intelligence indicates that a Viet Cong regiment has moved down from the mountains and positioned itself a few miles south of Chu Lai. At dawn on 18 August 1965, as part of Operation Starlite, a preemptive strike against the VC force, O’Malley’s battalion performs an amphibious landing near the village of An’Cuong 2. Shortly after landing, they come under mortar and small arms fire.
During the ensuing firefight, O’Malley single-handedly attacks a VC trench and helps to evacuate wounded Marines. Eventually, his squad is ordered to withdraw. While leading his Marines to the helicopter extraction point, he is hit in the legs, arm, and chest by mortar fragmentation. Despite his wounds, O’Malley refuses to be evacuated and instead provides suppressive fire until all of his Marines board a helicopter.
After the battle, O’Malley receives treatment in Japan for his wounds, including surgery to remove fragmentation that has lodged in his lungs. He is promoted to sergeant in December 1965, and returns to Camp Pendleton, where he stays for the remainder of his service until April 1966. O’Malley is flown on Air Force One to Austin, Texas, and, on 6 December 1966, he is awarded the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon Johnson at the Federal Building in Austin. Both the Marine Corps Drill Team and The Marine Corps Band take part in the ceremony at the Texas White House.
I’m always open to suggestions, and I will likely cover a few Marine family members of some of you subscribers in the near future. I really enjoy interacting with you folks and seeing the growth of this channel. Please do not hesitate to send an email to [e-mail] if you’d like for me to honor you or your Marine unit, or a Marine friend or family member.
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[@agneslynch7024]

I totally agree. However all of these people that he has talked about are.

[@Whitetail1982]

What a badass!

[@famshw7344]

My dad was there. HMM 161. Helicopter door gunner.