Robert Leslie Norton
First Lieutenant, U.S. Army

In April 1951, First Lieutenant Robert Leslie Norton was serving as a Platoon Leader in Company A, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, in Korea.

On 4 April, 1LT Norton's unit was engaged with enemy forces near Nungnae-dong, North Korea. 1LT Norton's platoon was given the mission of attacking and securing a steep, barren hill approximately 800 yards in front of the positions of Company A. After crossing open rice paddies to a position at the base of the hill from which the attack could be launched, 1LT Norton was leading his men up the slope of the hill when they came under a heavy volume of enemy small-arms and automatic weapons fire. Halting his platoon and exposing himself to the intense fire to check the feasibility of continuing the attack from that point, he noted that such action would result in heavy casualties. Remaining in the exposed position, 1LT Norton directed his platoon to withdraw and attack the enemy's right flank from a more sheltered approach while he stayed behind to draw enemy fire and cover their movement. He placed effective fire on the enemy, covering the maneuver of his platoon, until he was hit by a burst of enemy machine-gun fire and killed instantly. 1LT Norton's inspirational leadership and selfless actions enabled his platoon to secure the objective and earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Distinguished Service Cross
Silver Star Medal
Purple Heart
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge with Star (Second Award)

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Robert L. Norton (ASN: 0-2034570), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as a Platoon Leader in Company A, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. First Lieutenant Norton distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces near Nungnae-dong, Korea, on 4 April 1951. On that date, Lieutenant Norton's platoon was given the mission of attacking and securing a steep, barren hill approximately 800 yards in front of the positions of Company A. After crossing open rice paddies to a position at the base of the hill from which the attack could be launched, Lieutenant Norton was leading his men up the slope of the hill when they came under a heavy volume of enemy small-arms and automatic weapons fire. Halting his platoon and exposing himself to the intense fire to check the feasibility of continuing the attack from that point, he noted that such action would result in heavy casualties. Remaining in the exposed position, Lieutenant Norton directed his platoon to withdraw and attack the enemy's right flank from a more sheltered approach while he stayed behind to draw enemy fire and cover the movement. He continued to place effective fire on the enemy, covering the maneuver of his platoon, until he was hit by a burst of enemy machine-gun fire and instantly killed. The inspirational leadership and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Lieutenant Norton enabled his platoon to secure the objective.

General Orders: Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No. 363 (May 28, 1951)

Burial

First Lieutenant Robert Leslie Norton is buried at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Arlington County, VA, in Section 7, Site 10027-2.

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