GAIL DRAKE: The medic who would not quit

Honor to whom honor is due. — Romans 13:7

The sun rose that morning on Nov. 8, 1965, over the jungles near Bien Hoa, South Vietnam. The 1st Battalion (Airborne) of the 503rd Infantry was sent out on patrol in War Zone “D,” conducting “Operation Hump,” a search-and-destroy mission to rout out the Viet Cong. At a bend in the jungle path, jungle leaves and bamboo moved to reveal a sea of rifles.

It was an ambush. First Battalion was outnumbered six to one. The Viet Cong opened fire.

Nearly every man in the lead squad was killed or wounded. The troopers scrambled to return fire. From behind stepped up Specialist Five Lawrence Joel, medic and seasoned veteran who had served in the Korean conflict.

Under heavy gunfire, Joel administering First Aid to those wounded in that initial blast as well as the next assault. Moving from man to man, he was shot in the right leg by machine gun fire. He bandaged his own wound and shot himself with morphine to deaden the pain. Then he continued to move toward others wounded and administered medication, shouting words of encouragement. Despite bullets kicking up dirt all around him, he kneeled to hold plasma bottles high, engrossed in the welfare of his patients.

A bullet struck him a second time, this time lodging in his thigh. He dragged himself across the battlefield scouting for more wounded. He treated 13 more before running out of medical supplies. He began treating one patient with a severe chest wound. Depleted of all his bandages, he took out a plastic bag and pressed it over the soldier’s chest until the blood began to congeal, saving his life.

One of the reinforcement platoons distributed medical supplies to Joel, then moved on to pursue the retreating Viet Cong. There was a brief respite. Then, the jungle foliage parted to reveal another concealed Viet Cong squad. They opened fire and wounded more. The Americans returned fire. Crawling through a hailstorm of gunfire, Joel again treated his wounded comrades and shouted encouragements.

As the sun rose the next morning, the 24-hour battle had subsided. The Viet Cong casualties numbered around 400, along with 49 U.S. soldiers whose names were later etched on The Wall in Washington.

Lawrence Joel was credited for saving the lives of numerous troops during that battle — 13 after having been shot the second time with a bullet lodged in his thigh. For his gallantry and self-sacrificing service, Joel was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on the White House lawn by President Lyndon Johnson in 1969 — the first African-American recipient since the Spanish-American War. His citation read:

“Through the long battle, SP-6 Joel never lost sight of his mission as a medical aidman and continued to comfort and treat the wounded until his own evacuation was ordered. His meticulous attention to duty saved a large number of lives and his unselfish, daring example under most adverse conditions was an inspiration to all.”

Joel grew up in Winston-Salem, N.C., the third of 16 children. Because of his family’s extreme poverty, he was raised by a neighbor family. After high school, he joined the Merchant Marine for a year, then at age 18, he joined the U.S. Army, where he served out his career.

When Joel returned home in 1967, his hometown proudly hosted a parade, the first military parade to honor a single person and the biggest event ever staged. In 1989, Winston-Salem named its new coliseum after its hero: the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Lawrence Joel — U.S. Army, 173rd Airborne Brigade; Silver Star, Purple Heart, Medal of Honor: An American hero. Lest we forget.