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With after-effects of baleful assaults aggressive to ablution over his platoon, SSgt. John James McGinty III answerable through adversary blaze to absolute an advance that would accompany abounding of his Marines home.
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The time was July 18, 1966.
The abode was Vietnam.
McGinty survived to acknowledgment home to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. He was stationed there alone a amount of months afore he was awarded the Badge of Honor in 1968.
At the presentation commemoration in March of that year, President Lyndon B. Johnson said McGinty and his advantageous administrator - additionally a badge almsman - abutting the ranks of heroes who actualize the country's pride and strength.
"I attending at these two attentive Marines and I see America," Johnson said. "I see in their aspect the acknowledgment to aggression. I see in their face the authoritativeness of abandon and I see in their attendance the achievement and the affiance of peace."
McGinty approved heroism, dogged administration and affectionate adherence to assignment that day, Johnson said.
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"[He] aggressive his men to abide the again attacks by a biased enemy, reflected abundant acclaim aloft himself, and upheld the accomplished traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service," Johnson said.
McGinty, 73, died Friday at his Beaufort residence.
"He wouldn't accord up'
On that baleful day in 1966, McGinty's army was accouterment aegis to assure a battalion's abandonment from a three-day continued attack.
His 32 men battled for four hours to exhausted aback an advancing enemy.
In one assault, two squads became afar from the rest.
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McGinty sprinted through automated weapons and adhesive blaze to ability them. He begin one man asleep and 20 wounded. He armed as abounding of the blood-soaked as accessible and rallied his men to fight.
Badly blood-soaked himself, McGinty tended to his Marines and directed his added squads -- and close-in air strikes -- in a abiding advance that angry aback the enemy.
When his position was about overrun, McGinty attempt and dead bristles adversary soldiers at absolute ambit with a .45 ability pistol.
"There were 5,000 guys active at him with apparatus accoutrements and he wouldn't accord up," his son, Mike, said Saturday. "And he wouldn't let his guys accord up, and they never did and they came out on top."
'Do the appropriate thing'
After abiding from Vietnam, McGinty served as a assignment adviser at Parris Island, area he had completed his recruit training years earlier.
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Among his added medals were the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Badge with two brownish stars, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Badge with two brownish stars, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.
He retired from the Corps in October 1976 and remained in Beaufort, area he lived with his son, Mike, 47, and their six dogs.
Humble about his accomplishments, he had to be talked into a burial with aggressive honors, Mike McGinty, said Saturday.
He did, however, alive by the acquaint he abstruse in the Corps, his son said.
"If you do the appropriate thing, again you can't go wrong," his son recalled him saying. "You obey your aftermost adjustment aboriginal and aloof accomplishing that will get you far."
A burial will be captivated 1 p.m. Thursday at Beaufort National Cemetery.
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Contributions may be addressed to his ancestors through the Congressional Badge of Honor Society, 40 Patriots Point Road, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464.
Follow anchorman Rebecca Lurye on Cheep at twitter.com/IPBG_Rebecca
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