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drawing a sheath knife as he approached it. With complete disregard for his safety and realizing the imminent danger to members of his command, he used his body as a shield in front of the mine as he attempted to slash the control wires leading from the enemy positions to the mine. As he reached for the wire the mine was detonated, killing him instantly. Five men nearest the mine were slightly wounded, but 1st Lt. Fournet's heroic and unselfish act spared his men of serious injury or death. His gallantry and willing self-sacrifice are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
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For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Lt. Fournet, Infantry, distinguished himself in action while serving as rifle platoon leader of the 2d
Platoon, Company B. While advancing uphill against fortified enemy positions in the
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fire, making movement very difficult. The right flank man suddenly discovered an enemy claymore mine covering the route of advance and shouted a warning to his comrades. Realizing that the enemy would also be alerted, 1st Lt. Fournet ordered his men to take cover and ran uphill toward the mine,
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which loops around Lake
Charles was named the "Douglas Fournet Expressway" in the fall of 2001. On July 3, 2010, he and four other Medal of Honor recipients with ties to Louisiana were inducted into the
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He and his wife
Marilyn Grissett had a son, Bill Fournet, who was born after his father's death.
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officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the
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First
Lieutenant Fournet's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
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United States Army personnel killed in the
Vietnam War
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List of Medal of Honor recipients for the
Vietnam War
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231:(Airmobile). During a firefight on that day, in the
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283:A Shau Valley, the platoon encountered intense
372:United States Army Center of Military History
343:United States Army Center of Military History
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472:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
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364:"Medal of Honor recipients – Vietnam (A-L)"
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457:People from Lake Charles, Louisiana
219:. By May 4, 1968, was serving as a
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341:from websites or documents of the
172:(May 7, 1943 – May 4, 1968) was a
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374:. August 3, 2009. Archived from
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462:McNeese State University alumni
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404:Brown, Bruce (July 2, 2010).
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223:in Company B, 1st Battalion,
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368:Medal of Honor citations
213:Officer Candidate School
198:McNeese State University
192:Born on May 7, 1943, in
180:—for his actions in the
274:Medal of Honor citation
202:Lake Charles, Louisiana
170:Douglas Bernard Fournet
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20:Douglas Bernard Fournet
339:public domain material
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209:New Orleans, Louisiana
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98:Years of service
411:The Daily Advertiser
229:1st Cavalry Division
225:7th Cavalry Regiment
125:1st Cavalry Division
121:7th Cavalry Regiment
196:, Fournet attended
72:Republic of Vietnam
32:Army Medal of Honor
241:Operation Delaware
174:United States Army
92:United States Army
304:Cemetery Memorial
194:Kinder, Louisiana
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63:(1968-05-04)
452:1968 deaths
447:1943 births
249:Bronze Star
182:Vietnam War
158:Bronze Star
136:Vietnam War
127:(Airmobile)
61:May 4, 1968
48:May 7, 1943
441:Categories
327:References
78:Allegiance
44:1943-05-07
268:Abbeville
239:, during
188:Biography
101:1966–1968
293:See also
86:Service/
382:July 7,
142:†
285:sniper
150:Awards
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88:branch
384:2010
116:Unit
106:Rank
58:Died
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
