| Joe Hooper | |
| Birth Date: | 8 August 1938 |
| Birth Place: | Piedmont, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Placeofburial: | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance: | United States |
| Branch: | United States Navy (1956–59) United States Army (1960–78) |
| Serviceyears: | 1956–1978 |
| Rank: | Captain |
| Unit: | 2nd Battalion, 501st Airborne Infantry, 101st Airborne Division |
| Battles: | Vietnam War |
| Awards: | Medal of Honor Silver Star (2) Bronze Star Medal (6) Purple Heart (8) Air Medal (5) Army Commendation Medal (2) |
Joe Ronnie Hooper (August 8, 1938 – May 6, 1979) was an American who served in both the United States Navy and United States Army where he finished his career there as a captain. He earned the Medal of Honor while serving as an army sergeant on February 21, 1968, during the Vietnam War. He was one of the most decorated U.S. soldiers of the war and was wounded in action eight times.
Hooper was born on August 8, 1938, in Piedmont, South Carolina. His family moved when he was a child to Moses Lake, Washington where he attended Moses Lake High School.
Hooper enlisted in the United States Navy in December 1956. After graduation from boot camp at San Diego, California he served as an airman aboard and . He was honorably discharged in July 1959, shortly after being advanced to petty officer third class.
Hooper enlisted in the United States Army in May 1960 as a private first class, and attended Basic Training at Fort Ord, California. After graduation, he volunteered for Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was assigned to Company C, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 325th Infantry,[1] 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and was promoted to corporal during this assignment. He served a tour of duty in South Korea with the 20th Infantry in October 1961. Shortly after arriving, he was promoted to sergeant and was made a squad leader.
Hooper left Korea in November 1963. He was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas for a year as a squad leader, then became a squad leader with Company D, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 502nd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was promoted to staff sergeant in September 1966, and volunteered for service in South Vietnam. Instead, he was assigned as a platoon sergeant in Panama with the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry, 193rd Infantry Brigade first with HQ Company and later with Company B.
Hooper could not stay out of trouble, and suffered several Article 15 hearings, and was reduced to the rank of corporal in July 1967. He was promoted once again to sergeant in October 1967, and was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 501st Airborne Infantry, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. He deployed with the division to South Vietnam in December as a squad leader. During his tour of duty with Delta Company (Delta Raiders), 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 501st Airborne Infantry, he was recommended for the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on February 21, 1968, during the Battle of Huế.[2]
Hooper returned from South Vietnam, and was discharged in June 1968. He re-enlisted in the Army in September 1968, and served as a public relations specialist. On March 7, 1969, he was presented the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon during a ceremony in the White House. From July 1969 to August 1970, he served as a platoon sergeant with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Infantry, 193rd Infantry Brigade in Panama.
Hooper deployed to Vietnam for a second tour of duty in 1970. From April to June 1970, he served as a Pathfinder with the 101st Aviation Group, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). From June to December 1970, he served as a platoon sergeant with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). In December 1970, he received a direct commission to second lieutenant. He served as a platoon leader with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) until April 1971.
Upon his return to the United States, Hooper attended the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, and was assigned as an instructor at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Despite wanting to serve twenty years in the Army, Hooper was made to retire in February 1974 as a first lieutenant, mainly because he only completed a handful of college courses beyond his GED. As soon as he was released from active duty, he joined a unit of the Army Reserve's 12th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Washington as a Company Executive Officer.
In February 1976, Hooper transferred to the 104th Division (Training), also based in Washington. He was promoted to captain in March 1977. He attended drills intermittently, and was separated from the service in September 1978.
For his service in Vietnam, the U.S. Army also awarded Hooper two Silver Stars, six Bronze Stars, eight Purple Hearts, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Vietnam Service Medal with six campaign stars, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. He is credited with 115 enemy killed in ground combat, 22 of which occurred on February 21, 1968. He became one of the most-decorated soldiers in the Vietnam War,[2] and was one of three soldiers wounded in action eight times during the war.
According to rumors, he was distressed by the anti-war politics of the time, and compensated with excessive drinking which contributed to his death.[3] He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Louisville, Kentucky on May 6, 1979, at the age of 40.
Hooper is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 46, adjacent to the Memorial Amphitheater.
Hooper's military decorations and awards include:
| Combat Infantryman Badge | |||||||||||
| Medal of Honor | Silver Star w/ 1 bronze oak leaf cluster | ||||||||||
| Bronze Star w/ Valor device and 1 silver oak leaf cluster | Purple Heart w/ 1 silver and 2 bronze oak leaf clusters | Air Medal w/ 4 bronze oak leaf clusters | |||||||||
| Army Commendation Medal w/ Valor device and 1 bronze oak leaf cluster | Army Good Conduct Medal w/ 3 bronze Good conduct loops | Navy Good Conduct Medal | |||||||||
| National Defense Service Medal | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Vietnam Service Medal w/ 1 silver and 1 bronze campaign stars | |||||||||
| Vietnam Cross of Gallantry w/ Palm | Navy Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon w/ "E" Device | ||||||||||
| Army Presidential Unit Citation | |||
| Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation | Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation | ||
| Master Parachutist Badge | Expert Marksmanship Badge w/ 1 weapon bar | Vietnam Parachutist Badge |
Book: Maslowski . Peter . Wilson . Don . Looking for a Hero: Staff Sergeant Joe Ronnie Hooper and the Vietnam War. . 2009 . University of Nebraska Press . Lincoln . 978-0803224933.