28 March

HM3 ROBERT R. INGRAM,
Company C, 1stBattalion, 7th Marines
Quang Ngai Province RVN.
28 March 1966

Ingram was serving as Corpsman in Quang Ngai Province Republic of Vietnam when the platoon of Marines he was assigned to engaged an NVA battalion.

As the battle moved across the terrain a village tree line exploded with machine gunfire. An enemy element of approx. 100 was well entrenched in the tree line.  Ingram’s platoon was decimated. Wounded marines littered the area.  Oblivious to the danger, Petty Officer Ingram crawled across the bullet spattered terrain to reach a downed Marine. At some point an enemy round pierced his hand but the calls for “CORPSMAN” kept ringing out across th4e battlefield.  Ingram bandaged his wound and made his way across the ridge to aid his men.

Ingram collected and distributed ammunition amongst the remaining Marines and administered medical aid to the wounded Marines.

Ingram was again wounded, then a third time.  Ingram knew the third was life-threatening;   still he answered the call for help.  In spite of his own wounds HM3 Ingram put his men first.

Ingram was in an exposed position administering aid to a fallen Marine when he sustained his fourth bullet wound.

Over the course of the more than 4 hour battle, Petty Officer Ingram pushed, pulled, cajoled, and doctored his Marines. Disregarding the probability his own wounds would be fatal if not tended to and in spit of the incredible pain of those wounds, Ingram stayed in the fight and took care of his Marines.

It is a testimony to the Character of Robert Ingram that in the 32 years that past since that day in Quang Ngai Province, Ingram never acknowledged that he had done anything special.  It wasn’t until  a 1995 reunion of the Marine unit that had fought with, that someone realized Ingram’s Medal of Honor recommendation had never been considered.

The Marines Ingram doctored and protected made sure the nomination was properly considered and Pres. Clinton presented the award in July of 1998.

Doc. Ingram is alive and well as of this writing.