Karl G. Taylor Sr.

Karl Gorman Taylor, Sr.
Born	(1939-07-14)July 14, 1939 Laurel, Maryland, U.S.
Died	December 8, 1968(1968-12-08) (aged 29) Vietnam
Place of burial	Independence Cemetery Independence Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1959-1968
Rank	Staff Sergeant
Unit	1st Battalion 6th Marines, 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines, 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines
Battles/wars	Vietnam War  †
Awards	Medal of Honor Purple Heart Medal Combat Action Ribbon Republic of Vietnam Military Merit Medal Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross

Karl Gorman Taylor, Sr. (July 14, 1939 – December 8, 1968) was a United States Marine Corps staff sergeant who was killed in action during his second tour of duty in South Vietnam. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism above and beyond the call of duty on December 8, 1968.

Early life and education

Karl Taylor was born on July 14, 1939 in Laurel, Maryland. He graduated from Arundel Junior High School in 1953, then attended Arundel Senior High School for three years until 1956. After leaving high school, he was employed by a construction company as a Tournapull-Scraper Operator. In 1961, he received a high school equivalency diploma from the Armed Forces Institute in Madison, Wisconsin.

U.S. Marine Corps

He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps along with his brother, Walter William Taylor, at Recruiting Station Baltimore on January 15, 1959. Upon completion of recruit training with the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, he went on to infantry combat training with the 1st Infantry Training Regiment, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. After completing infantry training in July 1959, he was assigned duty as a rifleman, section leader, and a platoon guide, successively, with Company A, 1st Battalion 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division. He was promoted to private first class on July 1, 1959; to lance corporal on March 1, 1960; and to corporal on October 24, 1960. From January until February 1962, he attended the Drill Instructor School at Parris Island, then served as a Drill Instructor at 2nd Recruit Training Battalion until January 1963.

After this enlistment tour was over, Cpl. Taylor returned to inactive duty for three months and was with the 4th Marine Corps Reserve and Recruitment District at Philadelphia. On March 26, 1963, he returned to active duty at Marine Corps Base Quantico, and served as Assistant Police Sergeant and, later, Police Sergeant, Guard Company, Service Battalion, Marine Corps Schools. He was promoted to sergeant on December 1, 1963.

Vietnam War

1st tour of duty

He was transferred to the 3rd Marine Division in August 1964. Sgt. Taylor saw a one-year tour of duty as rocket section leader and platoon guide, with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, which included duty in Vietnam beginning on April 10, 1965. In August, he was reassigned to Sub Unit #2, Headquarters Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific and served as an instructor for the NCO Leadership School until the following November.

2nd tour of duty

In January 1966, he returned to the United States and returned to Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, for duty as Candidate Company Platoon Sergeant and Platoon Sergeant of Company A, 2nd Platoon, Officer Candidate School. He was promoted to staff sergeant on September 1, 1966. He returned to Vietnam on January 21, 1968. In February 1968, he became the Platoon Sergeant of "I" Company (India Company), 3rd Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division (Reinforced). In November or December, he replaced the Company Sergeant of "I" Company, 2/26 Marines during Operation Meade River (November 20 to December 9, 1968).

Death

Staff Sgt. Taylor was mortally wounded while participating in Operation Meade River on December 8, 1968. He was killed while charging across an open paddy and destroying an enemy machine gun position with a grenade launcher in attempting the rescue of several wounded Marines from his platoon who were lying in an open area and exposed to the machine gun fire. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic actions that day.

Medal of Honor

On February 16, 1971, President Richard Nixon, in a White House ceremony, presented Staff Sgt. Taylor's Medal of Honor to his family — his wife, daughter, age 8, and two sons, age 7 and 4.

Burial

Staff Sgt. Taylor is buried in Independence Cemetery at Independence Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania.

Military awards

Taylor's military decorations and awards include:

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	Medal of Honor
Purple Heart Medal	Combat Action Ribbon	Presidential Unit Citation w/ one 3⁄16" bronze star
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal w/ two 3⁄16" bronze stars	National Defense Service Medal	Vietnam Service Medal w/ three 3⁄16" bronze stars
Republic of Vietnam Military Merit Medal	Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/ Palm	Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal w/ 1960- Device

Family

Staff Sgt. Karl Taylor's son Kevin followed his father's footstep, enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1984. In 1997, he was with the Construction Equipment Repair Branch, MCB Quantico, Virginia.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial & naming

• Karl G. Taylor, Sr. has his name inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Panel 37W, Row 070.
• In 2001, Marine Corps League Detachment 1084 was named, "Marine Corps League SSgt. Karl G. Taylor, Sr. Detachment 1084" in Jessup, Howard County, Maryland.

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States in the name of the Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to

STAFF SERGEANT KARL G. TAYLOR
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Company Gunnery Sergeant during Operation MEADE RIVER in the Republic of Vietnam on the night of 8 December 1968. Informed that the commander of the lead platoon had been mortally wounded when his unit was pinned down by a heavy volume of enemy fire, Staff Sergeant Taylor along with another Marine, crawled forward to the beleaguered unit through a hail of hostile fire, shouted encouragement and instructions to the men, and deployed them to covered positions. With his companion, he then repeatedly maneuvered across an open area to rescue those Marines who were too seriously wounded to move by themselves. Upon learning that there were still other seriously wounded men lying in another open area, in proximity to an enemy machine gun position, Staff Sergeant Taylor, accompanied by four comrades, led his men forward across the fire-swept terrain in an attempt to rescue the Marines. When his group was halted by devastating fire, he directed his companion to return to the company command post; whereupon he took his grenade launcher and, in full view of the enemy, charged across the open rice paddy toward the machine gun position, firing his weapon as he ran. Although wounded several times, he succeeded in reaching the machine gun bunker and silencing the fire from that sector, moments before he was mortally wounded. Directly instrumental in saving the lives of several of his fellow Marines, Staff Sergeant Taylor, by his indomitable courage, inspiring leadership, and selfless dedication, upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

/S/ RICHARD M. NIXON

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War
• 5th Marine Division

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

Inline

General

• "Staff Sergeant Karl Gorman Taylor, Sr., USMC, Who's Who in Marine Corps History, History Division, United States Marine Corps. Retrieved on 2009-08-05". Retrieved September 29, 2010.
• "SSgt Karl G. Taylor, Medal of Honor, 1968, Operation Meade River, Medal of Honor citation. Retrieved on 2006-06-25". Archived from the original on July 14, 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
• "Karl G. Taylor Sr". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
• ""An Extraordinary Man", profile of Karl G. Taylor. Retrieved on 2006-06-25". Retrieved September 29, 2010.