Ken Harbaugh tells the stories of service members who have distinguished themselves through an act of valor. These stories feature recipients from the Civil War to present day, including a few who were originally overlooked for the medal.
John Paul Bobo joined the Marine Corps Reserve not long after graduating college and soon found himself in Vietnam. He earned the Medal of Honor defending his company from an enemy ambush as they patrolled along the North Vietnam border.
Welcome to the Medal of Honor podcast, brought to you in partnership with the National Medal of Honor Museum. I’m Ken Harbaugh. In each episode, we’ll learn about a different service member who has distinguished him or herself through an act of valor.
John Paul Bobo was born in 1943 in Niagara Falls, New York. After high school, Bobo enlisted in the US Marine Corps Reserve and attended Niagara University. When he graduated in 1965, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. A year later, he found himself in Vietnam as a Weapons Platoon Commander with 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines.
On March 30th, 1967, Bobo’s company was patrolling and establishing ambush positions in Quang Tri Province, just miles from the border with North Vietnam. As the line platoons were out patrolling, Bobo and the command group were attacked by a reinforced North Vietnamese Army company. Under fire from heavy machine guns and mortars, Bobo organized the defense, and directed rocket fire towards enemy machine guns. An enemy mortar exploded, severing John’s leg below the knee. But he would not leave his men or give up the position - he refused to be evacuated despite the severity of his injury. He used a web belt as a tourniquet, and jammed his leg into the dirt to stop the bleeding. He continued to fire at the enemy, and remained in that position until he was struck and killed.
Bobo’s fellow Marines would never forget his courage that day. 1st Sgt Raymond G. Rogers recalled Bobo killing at least five soldiers despite his wounds. Though 15 other Marines died that day, Bobo’s actions saved the lives of many more, and allowed his company to rally and repel the enemy.
To this day, every Marine officer knows who 2nd Lt Bobo is. His name is among the citations on the Medal of Honor run at Officer Candidates School, and the chow hall is named after him.
The Medal of Honor podcast is a production of Evergreen Podcasts.
Declan Rohrs is our producer, León Pescador is our associate producer, Nathan Corson is our engineer, and I’m Ken Harbaugh.
We are proud to support the National Medal of Honor Museum. To learn more, and to support their mission, go to mohmuseum.org. Thanks for listening.