COLONEL JOHN P. LAWTON
Colonel John P. Lawton is inducted
into the Ranger Hall of Fame for his extraordinary valor and service to this
great nation of ours as a Ranger and soldier of thirty seven and one half
years. His service with the Biet Dong Quan as an advisor to the Vietnamese 41st Ranger
Battalion as company commander of Company N (Ranger), 75th Infantry provided
examples of personal determination to all who served with him. For
extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving
conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, he was
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster,
Bronze Star with "V" device and five Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal
with "V" device and three Oak Leaf clusters, Purple Heart with four
Oak Leaf clusters, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Bronze and Silver Star,
and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. In addition to his wartime service, a
grateful nation has awarded him the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service
Medal with Oak Leaf cluster, Soldier's Medal and Army Commendation Medal. He
has also been awarded the Senior Parachutist Badge, the Vietnamese Ranger
Badge, and the coveted Ranger Tab. Colonel (CPT) Lawton
distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions as the company
commander of an Infantry company during a mission near Chu
Lai. He received word that his second platoon had been heavily attacked in an
open rice paddy by an estimated North Vietnamese Army company firing
automatic weapons and mortars and had suffered many casualties. Captain
Lawton evaluated the situation and led a squad across 50 meters of open
ground. He received multiple fragment wounds as he advanced. Disregarding his
severe wounds, he continued to crawl to the casualties, only to discover they
were all either dead or could not be moved. For a full 45 minutes he single-handedly
held the attackers at bay and prevented them from capturing the wounded. He
placed suppressive fire on the insurgents until he ran out of ammunition and
his position was overrun. With a burst of reserve energy he lunged forward to
grab a weapon from one of the enemy, but was wounded for a fourth time and
left for dead. Through his courageous actions he had delayed the enemy force
to such an extent that when the relief force arrived moments later, the
attackers were caught in the open and were quickly routed, suffering heavy
casualties. For this action Colonel Lawton was awarded the Distinguished
Service Cross. Colonel Lawton has always demonstrated that he will
energetically meet the enemy of his country and defeat them on the field of
battle, fight with all his might and never leave a fallen comrade. Colonel
Lawton is a Ranger!
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