Corporal Joseph Vittori

Born in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1929, he attended high school and worked on his father’s farm before enlisting for three years in the Marine Corps in 1946. After being discharged, he joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1950 for an indefinite tour of active duty. He trained at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, until January 1951, when he joined Company F, 2d Battalion, 1st Marines, in Korea. Having been wounded in June near Yanggu, he was killed in the fight for Hill 749 in the Punchbowl on 15 September 1951 and became the second Marine of 2d Battalion, 1st Marines, within a 48-hour period to receive the Medal of Honor.

His citation reads, in part:

Corporal Vittori boldly rushed through the withdrawing troops with two other volunteers from his reserve platoon and plunged directly into the midst of the enemy. Overwhelming them in a fierce hand-to-hand struggle, he enabled his company to consolidate its positions…he assumed position under the devastating barrage and, fighting a single-hand battle, leaped from one flank to the other, covering each foxhole in turn as casualties continued to mount, manning a machine-gun when the gunner was struck down…With the situation becoming extremely critical…and foxholes left practically void by dead and wounded for a distance of 100 yards, Corporal Vittori continued his valiant stand, refusing to give ground as the enemy penetrated to within feet of his position…Mortally wounded by enemy machine-gun and rifle bullets while persisting in his magnificent defense of the sector, where approximately 200 enemy dead were found the following morning. Corporal Vittori…undoubtedly prevented the entire battalion position from collapsing.

In 1986 there was a parade and memorial service in his honor, with a park named after him in his hometown of Beverly, Massachusetts.

Department of Defense Photo (USMC) A46971