Marine Cpl. Lester W. Weber killed in Quang Nam Province after neutralizing enemy combatants

In January 1969, Cpl. Lester W. R. Weber  assumed duty as squad leader with the 2d Platoon, Company M, 3d Battalion, 7th Marines. While participating in a search and clear operation in the Bo Ban area of Hieu Duc District in Quang Nam Province, he was killed in action, 23 February 1969.

Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Lester Weber

FEB. 22, 2021 | BY KATIE LANGE, DOD NEWS

Weber was born July 30, 1948, in Aurora, Illinois, to George and Elsie Weber. He had two brothers, including George Jr., who also became a Marine. 

Weber attended Hinsdale Central High School for two years before he dropped out to enlist in the Marine Corps Reserve in September 1966. By then, the war in Vietnam was escalating. So, about four months later, on Jan. 23, 1967, Weber enlisted in the regular Marine Corps. 

He finished his training by June 1967 and deployed to Southeast Asia about a month later. Then a private first class, Weber was assigned as an ammunition carrier and squad leader with Headquarters and Service Company of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marines Division. 

In November 1967, Weber was promoted to lance corporal. He had completed his normal tour of duty abroad, but he decided to extend it by six months, which is why he remained in Vietnam into 1969. That January, he assumed the role of squad leader with 2nd Platoon, Company M in the 3rd Battalion. 

On Feb. 23, 1969, Weber was leading his Marines during a search and clear operation in the Bo Ban area of the Hieu Duc district in Quang Nam Province. They were sent to help a squad from another platoon, which was in the middle of a fierce firefight with a well-entrenched enemy battalion. 

As Weber’s platoon moved through a rice paddy, they were suddenly attacked by enemy soldiers hiding in the paddy’s tall grass. Weber quickly dove into one patch of grass and took down an enemy soldier before forcing 11 others to break their contact with his fellow Marines. He then overwhelmed another North Vietnamese Army soldier in hand-to-hand combat. 

Once that man was no longer a threat, Weber noticed two other enemy soldiers firing on some of the Marines from behind a dike. He ignored the intense gunfire and ran through it, diving into the area where those enemy soldiers were. He wrestled the weapons out of their hands and took them out, too. 

At this point, Weber’s heroics had caught the attention of many of the enemy fighters, so they began concentrating their fire on him. However, he continued to stay exposed, yelling encouragement to his fellow Marines. As he moved forward to again attack an enemy soldier, he was shot and killed. 

Without Weber’s motivation, courage and fighting spirit, his comrades may not have had the will to fight as hard as they did. For giving his life to the cause, Weber earned the Medal of Honor. His family received it from President Richard M. Nixon during a White House ceremony on Feb. 16, 1971. Three other Marines and a few soldiers who had also earned the high honor received their medals during the same ceremony. 

Weber is buried in Clarendon Hills Cemetery in Darien, Illinois, not far from where he grew up. He continues to be remembered in that area today. In 2003, a memorial stone honoring him was set into the ground near the flagpole of the St. Isaac Jogues Grammar School, where he spent his formative years. 

Weber Hall, a Marine barracks at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, also stands in his honor.

Lance Corporal Weber had completed a normal tour of duty in Vietnam and had extended for six months.

CITATION For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a machine-gun squad leader with Company M, in action against the enemy. The 2d Platoon of Company M was dispatched to the Bo Ban area of Hieu Duc district to assist a squad from another platoon which had become heavily engaged with a well-entrenched enemy battalion. While moving through a rice paddy covered with tall grass L/Cpl. Weber’s platoon came under heavy attack from concealed hostile soldiers. He reacted by plunging into the tall grass, successfully attacking one enemy, and forcing 11 others to break contact. Upon encountering a second North Vietnamese Army soldier he overwhelmed him in fierce hand-to-hand combat. Observing two other soldiers firing upon his comrades from behind a dike, L/Cpl. Weber ignored the frenzied firing of the enemy and, racing across the hazardous area, dived into their position. He neutralized the position by wrestling weapons from the hands of the two soldiers and overcoming them. Although by now the target for concentrated fire from hostile riflemen, L/Cpl. Weber remained in a dangerously exposed position to shout words of encouragement to his emboldened companions. As he moved forward to attack a fifth enemy soldier, he was mortally wounded. L/Cpl. Weber’s indomitable courage, aggressive fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.