Joseph R. Ouellette

Infobox Military Person
name= Joseph R. Ouellette
born= 1930
died= death date|1950|9|3
placeofbirth= Pontiac, Michigan
placeofdeath= Near Yongsan, Korea
placeofburial=


caption= Medal of Honor recipient
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Army
serviceyears=
rank= Private First Class
unit=Company H, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
battles= Korean War
awards= Medal of Honor Purple Heart

Joseph R. Ouellette (1930 – September 3, 1950) was a soldier in the United States Army during the Korean War. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 31, and September 1-3, 1951.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company H, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division

Place and date: Near Yongsan, Korea, from August 31, to September 3, 1950.

Entered service at: Lowell, Mass. Birth: Lowell, Mass.

G.O. No.: 25, April 25, 1951.

Citation:

:Pfc. Ouellette distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy in the Makioug-Chang River salient. When an enemy assault cut off and surrounded his unit he voluntarily made a reconnaissance of a nearby hill under intense enemy fire to locate friendly troop positions and obtain information of the enemy's strength and location. Finding that friendly troops were not on the hill, he worked his way back to his unit under heavy fire. Later, when an airdrop of water was made outside the perimeter, he again braved enemy fire in an attempt to retrieve water for his unit. Finding the dropped cans broken and devoid of water, he returned to his unit. His heroic attempt greatly increased his comrades' morale. When ammunition and grenades ran low, Pfc. Ouellette again slipped out of the perimeter to collect these from the enemy dead. After collecting grenades he was attacked by an enemy soldier. He killed this enemy in hand-to-hand combat, gathered up the ammunition, and returned to his unit. When the enemy attacked on 3 September, they assaulted his position with grenades. On 6 occasions Pfc. Ouellette leaped from his foxhole to escape exploding grenades. In doing so, he had to face enemy small-arms fire. He continued his resistance, despite a severe wound, until he lost his life. The extraordinary heroism and intrepidity displayed by Pfc. Ouellette reflect the highest credit on himself and are in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the military service.cite web
accessdate=2007-12-30
url = http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/koreanwar.html
title = "JOSEPH R. OUELLETTE" entry
work = Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War
date = July 16, 2007
publisher= Center of Military History (CMH), United States Army]

Legacy

The US Army named an outpost, Observation Post Ouellette after him, in the Korean DMZ, near to the Joint Security Area.

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Korean War Medal of Honor recipients

Notes

References

*cite web
accessdate=2007-12-30
url = http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/koreanwar.html
title = "JOSEPH R. OUELLETTE" entry
work = Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War
date = July 16, 2007
publisher= Center of Military History (CMH), United States Army

External links

*findagrave|7855237 Retrieved on 2008-02-22

Persondata
NAME= Ouellette, Joseph R.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH= 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH= Pontiac, Michigan
DATE OF DEATH= September 3, 1950
PLACE OF DEATH= Near Yongsan, Korea