Lawrence Joel Lawrence Joel ( February 22 , 1928 – February 4 , 1984 ) was a United States Army Sergeant First Class who served in the Korean and Vietnam War s . While serving in Vietnam , as a medic with the rank of Specialist Five assigned to 1st Battalion of the 503rd Infantry Regiment in the 173rd Airborne Brigade , Joel received the Silver Star and the Medal of Honor for his heroism in a battle with the Viet Cong that occurred on November 8 , 1965 . He was the first medic to earn the Medal of Honor during the Viet Nam conflict and the first living black American to receive this medal since the Spanish - American War in 1898 . He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery Arlington , Virginia . His grave can be found in section 46 , lot 15 - 1 . Childhood . Joel was born in Winston - Salem , North Carolina , the third of 16 children . Due to the extreme poverty of his family , from the age of 8 to 18 , Joel was raised by a neighboring family , the Samuels . Joel attended city public schools , including Atkins High School , and joined the Merchant Marines for one year . In 1946 , at age 18 , Joel decided to join the United States Army , making a career out of it . He enlisted in New York City . Vietnam War . On November 8 , 1965 then - Specialist Five Lawrence Joel and his battalion of paratroopers were sent on a patrol for Viet Cong soldiers near Bien Hoa , warzone " D " in the heart of Vietnam , conducting Operation Hump . Joel and his battalion shortly found themselves in a Viet Cong ambush , outnumbered six to one . Under heavy gunfire , Joel did his duty as a medic , administering first aid to wounded soldiers . Joel defied orders to stay to the ground and risked his life to help the many wounded soldiers ; nearly every soldier in the lead squad was either wounded or killed in the battle . Even after being shot twice ( once in the right thigh and once in the right calf ) , Joel continued to do his job ; he bandaged his wounds and continued to help the wounded in not only his unit , but in the nearby company as well . When his medical supplies were depleted , he hobbled around the battlefield for more , using a makeshift crutch while SP4 Randy Eickhoff ran in front and provided covering fire . Eickhoff later was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his actions . Joel attended to thirteen troops and saved the life of one soldier who suffered from a severe chest wound by improvising and placing a plastic bag over the soldier ' s chest in order to seal the wound until the supplies were refreshed . After the firefight which lasted over twenty four hours , Joel was hospitalized and shipped to locations including Saigon , Vietnam and Tokyo , Japan to recover . Shortly after , he received the Silver Star for his activities on November 8 , 1965 . Medal of Honor citation . On March 9 , 1967 on the White House lawn , President Lyndon Johnson presented Joel with the Medal of Honor for his service in the Vietnam War . His citation reads as follows : Winston - Salem Parade . On April 8 , 1967 , the city of Winston - Salem held a parade , the first time the city had ever held a military parade to recognize a single individual , to honor Lawrence Joel . He grew up on the east side of the city , a predominantly African - American section of the city at the time . The New York Times called it the biggest tribute the city had ever staged . Watch WFMY News 2 vintage video of the parade . Retirement . Lawrence Joel retired from military service in 1973 . On February 4 , 1984 , Joel died of complications from diabetes . He is buried in Section 46 of Arlington National Cemetery adjacent to the Memorial Amphitheater . Honors and awards . Besides being the recipient of the Medal of Honor , several different buildings and memorials have been named in his honor . The first military memorial named in his honor was Joel Drive , which encircles Blanchfield Community Hospital at Fort Campbell , KY , dedicated in 1985 . Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum . In memory of Lawrence Joel and all Forsyth County veterans , the Winston - Salem Board of Aldermen ( now City Council ) in February 1986 decided to name the city ' s new coliseum the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum . Construction for the coliseum began one year later and opened in 1989 . In 2007 , a study funded by the Winston - Salem City Council opened the possibility of selling the coliseum ' s naming rights to some corporation . Lawrence Joel is mentioned in the song " 8th of November " by country group Big & Rich . Kris Kristofferson gives a prelude speech to the song in which he recognizes Joel and his heroic feats on the 8th of November , 1965 in Vietnam . The Joel Auditorium at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington , D . C . is named after Lawrence Joel . The U . S . Army clinics at FT McPherson , GA and FT Bragg , NC , are named after Joel .