James Irsley Poynter | |
|---|---|
 James I. Poynter | |
| Born | (1916-12-01)December 1, 1916 |
| Died | November 4, 1950(1950-11-04) (aged 33) nearSudong,North Korea |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Branch |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1942–1946, 1950 |
| Rank |  Sergeant |
| Unit | Company A,1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment,1st Marine Division |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Bronze Star w/Combat "V" Purple Heart Combat Action Ribbon |
James Irsley Poynter (December 1, 1916 – November 4, 1950) was aUnited States Marine Corps sergeant who served inWorld War II and theKorean War where he waskilled in action. He wasposthumously awarded theUnited States' highest military decoration for valor — theMedal of Honor — for his actions as a platoon squad leader on November 4, 1950, in which he singlehandedly charged and destroyed three enemymachine gun positions inNorth Korea at the cost of his life while a member of the1st Marine Division.[1]
Poynter was the eleventh Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor in Korea.
James Irsley Poynter was born to Eugene and Molly Poynter on December 1, 1916, inBloomington, Illinois. He was married twice and had four children.
He enlisted in theregular Marine Corps in February 1942. He fought in thePacific Theatre duringWorld War II, participating in theGuadalcanal, Southern Solomons,Saipan,Tinian andOkinawa campaigns. Poynter was discharged in February 1946.
At the beginning of the Korean War, Poynter re-enlisted in the Marine Corps, joining the 13th Infantry Battalion,Marine Corps Reserve in Los Angeles on July 19, 1950. He was assigned to A Company,1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, after the7th Marines were activated on August 17 atCamp Pendleton. The 7th Marines and Poynter sailed for Japan on September 1. On September 21, the 7th Marines made an amphibious landing at Inchon,South Korea.[2] His regiment including the 1st Battalion, then rejoined the 1st Marine Division which had made an assault landing at Inchon on September 15, and participated with the division in thebattle of Seoul against North Korean forces;[2] On September 24, Poynter took command of one of the rifle squads in A Company. On September 26, Poynter's rifle platoon led by their platoon commander, assaulted and overcame a well defended hill.[3] The 7th Marines landed ashore next atWonsan on October 27.
Afterwards, the 1st Marine Division headed by the 7th Marines were directed to march into North Korea toHamhung, their objective, theChosin Reservoir, a man-made lake.[2] The 7th Marines were to proceed north of Hamhung to relieve a South Korean unit which had fought with Chinese Communist forces (Chinese troops entered North Korea on October 19 and launched an offensive on October 25). On November 2, the 7th Marines reached the South Koreans with little opposition (November 1 was the first confrontation between the Chinese and the U.S. military).[2] However, Chinese presence increased after this. On November 3, as A Company was in a defensive position near Hamhung, 1st LieutenantFrank Mitchell's platoon in A Company which Poynter was a member of, was hit hard suddenly by the Chinese and almost overrun. Mitchell rallied his men including Poynter to repel the attack and Mitchell, although painfully wounded in the ensuing action, refused to be evacuated until the danger of a serious break-through was averted.[3]
On November 4, as the 7th Marineswere advancing to the Chosin Reservoir, Lt. Mitchell's platoon defended Hill 532, south ofSudong. Poynter was wounded there inhand-to-hand combat with the enemy. In spite of his wounds, when he saw three machine guns setting up only 25 yards (23 m) away, he charged the machine gun positions withhand grenades taken from fallen members of his squad, and was able to take out two machine guns. He was killed as he destroyed the third machine gun emplacement; on November 15, the 7th Marines and the 1st Marine Division completed their move north toHagaru-ri, at the southern tip of the reservoir. The division was to proceed more north toYudamni, on the western side of the Chosin Reservoir and to seize it, which was done with little resistance on November 25.[2] TheBattle of Chosin Reservoir began the evening of November 27.[2]
Poynter was awarded theBronze Star Medal withCombat "V" (posthumous) for "outstanding leadership, ability and courageous aggressiveness against the enemy" as a squad leader from September 24 to October 4, 1950.[4] He was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for his actions on November 4, 1950, "By his self-sacrificing and valiant conduct, Sergeant Poynter inspired the remaining members of his squad to heroic endeavor in bearing down upon and repelling the disorganized enemy, thereby enabling the platoon to move out of the trap to a more favorable tactical position".[5]
On September 4, 1952, Sgt. Poynter's Medal of Honor was posthumously presented to his widow Kathern Poynter fromSecretary of the NavyDan A. Kimball at thePentagon.
Sgt. Poynter was buried on February 3, 1955, with full military honors inFort Rosecrans National Cemetery,San Diego, California.[6][7]
Sgt. Poynter's military awards include the following:
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ThePresident of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
for service as set forth in the following CITATION:
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Marine Corps.