Taking a Mortar to the leg, this Marine kept fighting

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haven't subscribed yet magellan tv is a documentary streaming membership service founded by filmmakers and bringing you premium content diving deep into the subjects you want to learn more about magellan tv has the richest and most varied content on history available anywhere magellan tv has over 3 000 documentary movies series and exclusive playlists many available in 4k they have ancient modern current early modern war and biographical history science space and even true crime which can be watched anywhere on your television laptop or mobile device all the shows are without interruptions from commercials and we have a special offer where you can check it all out for free simple history viewers get a one month free trial membership just go to try.magellantv.com simplehistory or click the link in the description below and you can check out our documentary recommendation combat machines for free taking a mortar to the leg this marine kept fighting john p bobo 1967 the vietnam war john bobo was not someone who was content with sitting at home waiting to be drafted he desired to serve his country without being asked born on february 14 1943 in niagara falls new york john was an exemplary young man and it would be his unflinching resolve that made him stand out and ultimately made him a hero while still a student at niagara university john bobo enlisted in the marine corps reserve once he completed his studies with a degree in history he was commissioned as a second lieutenant he didn't spend one day in the profession for which he studied after receiving his commission he immediately went to quantico virginia for the marine corps basic training and officer candidate course in june 1966 after the course was finished bobo was assigned to the 3rd battalion 9th marines 3rd marine division that same month along with the rest of his unit he was deployed to vietnam john bobo's unit was one of four battalions engaged in operation prairie iii from march 19th until april 19 1967. the operation was conducted in order to eliminate the nva presence in the quang chi province south of the demilitarized zone the increasing activity of the north vietnamese was becoming a growing concern so the u.s marines were sent to patrol the region in search of them in the opening phase of the operation they experienced only light contact with the enemy but the situation changed after just a few days soon the marine patrols would find themselves severely hampered by heavy attacks followed by intense mortar shelling on march 30 1967 india company of the third battalion ninth marines was on patrol six miles northwest of the capital combat base their mission was to establish platoon ambush positions from which they would conduct surprise attacks on enemy units just as the first and third platoons had established their ambushed positions the nva attacked the company command group and the second platoon under the cover of knight even though the north vietnamese prevented the first and third platoons from returning to help their comrades the first attack was repelled by the us troops the second assault was more devastating however the nva attacked with full company strength followed by mortar fire john bobo as a commander of the second platoon organized his men into a defensive position even though they were outnumbered he jumped from one position to another encouraging his men to keep fighting if they gave way the entire command post would have been overrun bobo and his men fought as if there was no tomorrow and he was determined to throw everything he had at the enemy at one point he even picked up a rocket launcher from a dead soldier to use it against the enemy machine guns while he was running between positions a mortar shell suddenly exploded near him it didn't kill him but inflicted a massive injury to his right leg below the knee the platoon's medic rushed to evacuate him but received a stiff rejection not only did bobo refuse to leave the combat area but he insisted that the medic help him to place himself in a firing position to provide cover for the rest of the group and allow them to move to a better position to engage the enemy he needed to stop the heavy bleeding from his leg so he used his web belt as a tourniquet kneeled so that he could press his injured leg into the ground with his lower leg torn apart john bobo continued to fight off the enemy from his position for some time until he was mortally wounded by enemy fire his unshakable courage in the face of the enemy helped the rest of the unit reach a protective position from which they managed to repel the attack with the help of helicopter gunships the battle ended with 16 marines killed and 47 wounded once the firing stopped the marines evacuated to their combat base carrying along the dead body of their second lieutenant john bobo his body was later returned to the united states and buried in the gate of heaven cemetery in lewiston new york for his bravery shown in combat on march 30th 1967 john bobo was posthumously awarded the medal of honor it was not the only award he received for his service in addition to the medal of honor he also received a purple heart medal a combat action ribbon and two medals awarded to him by the south vietnamese government the national order of vietnam medal and the rvn gallantry cross medal because of john bobo's dauntless courage and bravery his men lived to fight another day as noted in his medal of honor citation his bold initiative reflected the highest traditions of the marine corps you

Channel: Simple History

Views: 616,921

Keywords: simple history, animated history, educational, education, John P. Bobo, The Vietnam War, 1967, usmc, marine, Niagara Falls, New York, Niagara University, Marine Corps Reserve, Operation Prairie III, Quantico, Virginia, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, NVA, Quang Tri province, North Vietnamese, mortar fire, hero, medal of honor, valor, UH-1E gunships, Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, National Order of Vietnam Medal, RVN Gallantry Cross Medal, courage, bravery

Id: KEkYq42IeFI

Length: 7min 15sec (435 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 24 2020