Paul Ronald Lambers (June 25, 1942 – December 1, 1970) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

—for his actions in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

Biography

Lambers joined the Army from his birth city of

Holland, Michigan Holland is a city in Ottawa County, Michigan, Ottawa and Allegan County, Michigan, Allegan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in the West Michigan, western region of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula, the city is si ...

in 1965,Service Profile
/ref> and by August 20, 1968, was serving as a

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in Company A, 2nd Battalion,

27th Infantry Regiment The 27th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the "Wolfhounds", is an infantry regiment of the United States Army established in 1901, traditionally aligned with the 25th Infantry Division for more than 8 decades. It served in the Philippine–Americ ...

, 25th Infantry Division. During a firefight on that day, in Tây Ninh Province,

Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with it ...

, Lambers took command after the platoon leader was wounded. For his conspicuous leadership during the battle he was promoted to

Staff Sergeant Staff sergeant is a Military rank, rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administr ...

and awarded the Medal of Honor in December 1969. Walking along

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

two years later in inclement weather, he was swept off a breakwater and drowned at age 28. His body was never recovered.

Medal of Honor citation

Staff Sergeant Lambers' official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambers, Paul Ronald 1942 births 1970 deaths United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Deaths by drowning in Michigan People from Holland, Michigan Military personnel from Michigan United States Army soldiers Vietnam War recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes