William Richard Charette (March 29, 1932 â March 18, 2012) was a United States Navy master chief hospital corpsman who received the nation’s highest military decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the medal for heroic actions “above and beyond the call of duty” on March 27, 1953, while assigned to a Marine Corps rifle company during the Korean War. He retired from the Navy after 26 years of service.
He volunteered to serve in Korea with the Fleet Marine Force (FMF) as a hospital corpsman attached to a Marine Corps unit, and on November 25, 1952, he reported for duty at the Field Medical Service School, Camp Pendleton, California, for field training. After completing the course and graduating as a FMF corpsman, he was assigned to 3rd Platoon, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, which embarked for South Korea on February 5, 1953.
He received the Medal of Honor for action, 26-27 March 1953 with Fox Company, 2/7 Marines.
In February 1957 he joined USS Quillback (SS-424) (where he qualified in submarines, October 1, 1957), and from May 19 to June 1, 1958 had detached duty in connection with the selection of the Unknown Solider of World War II. On May 26, 1958, on board USS Canberra Off the Virginia Capes, he placed a wreath on one of two unidentified caskets. Thus he chose the Unknown of the World War II to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery with the Unknown of the Korean hostilities, near the body of the Unknown Soldier of World War I. he then returned to duty in the Quillback, in which he continued to serve until March 1961, when he transferred to USS Triton (SS (N) 586).
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