THE COMBAT MEDIC WHO GAVE EVERYTHING FOR HIS COMRADES

Hospital Corpsman Third Class (HM3) Wayne Maurice Caron was serving as a combat medic with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines in Vietnam in 1966 when his unit came under sudden fire on July 28 while sweeping a rice paddy.

Caron saw 2 Marines go down and ran straight to them, only to find that both men were already dead. His platoon was taking heavier and heavier fire, and as the fight went on there were more casualties.

As Caron moved to help several wounded comrades, enemy fire hit him in the arm. That was his first wound in this engagement. The hit knocked him to the ground, but he got back on his feet and kept going to the wounded Marines. He treated the first badly wounded Marine he reached and saved his life with immediate, professional care. Caron then moved toward the second wounded Marine and was hit by enemy fire again, this time in the leg. He crawled the rest of the way to his comrade and treated his injuries. HM3 Caron then set off for another Marine and was hit yet again, by enemy small arms fire. He still pushed on, determined to reach his comrade. An enemy rocket hit and killed him before he got there.

HM3 Wayne Maurice Caron was only 21 years old at the time. He was wounded 3 times and finally killed, and still his courage saved the lives of several comrades. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, which Vice President Spiro Agnew handed to his wife on his behalf.

A brotherhood nobody else understands.

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