HERNDON, VA, U.S.A.
U.S. MARINE CORPS
COLONEL
11/14/2017, BLACKSBURG, VA
Wesley Lee Fox was a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps who served his country with excellence for 43 years. COL Fox received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War. He is considered one of the Marine Corps’ legendary heroes.
Wesley Lee Fox was born on September 30, 1931 to John Wesley and Desola Lee Fox on a farm outside of Herndon, VA. He was the oldest of ten children. He attended Warren County High School until 1948 quitting in 8th grade to be a farmer.
With the out break of war in Korea in 1950, Fox enlisted in the Marine Corps on August 4, 1950, shortly before his 19th birthday. He was sent to Korea in 1951 as a rifleman. COL Fox remained in the Marine Corps and served with distinction in a variety of capacities in different conflicts. For his heroic actions on February 22, 1969 during the Vietnam War, COL Fox was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on March 2, 1971 presented by President Richard M. Nixon. Part of the CMOH citation reads: “CPT Fox’s heroic actions reflect great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps, and uphold the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.”
COL Fox wrote a book about his experiences in the military, Marine Rifleman: Forty-Three Years in the Corps published in 2002. He was featured on the 2003 PBS program American Valor. His second book: Six Essential Elements of Leadership: Marine Corps Wisdom from a Medal of Honor Recipient published in 2011, is required reading for first year cadets at Virginia Tech where he was deputy commandant of cadets for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets from 1993-2001.