State resolution honors John Noble Holcomb, Baker County soldier killed in Vietnam in 1968 and awarded Medal of Honor

Published 3:00 pm Monday, February 21, 2022

BAKER CITY — Baker County’s only recipient of America’s highest military recognition — the Medal of Honor — could have a stretch of highway near his hometown dedicated to his sacrifice.

John Noble Holcomb, who was born and raised in Richland, was killed during a firefight in Vietnam on Dec. 3, 1968.

Holcomb was 22.

Earlier this year, Steve Bates, chair of the Committee on Memorials and Remembrance, which is affiliated with the Vietnam Veterans of America, emailed the two state legislators who represent Baker County — Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, and Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale — on behalf of John Duggan, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Halfway.

Duggan had requested the designation of a section of Highway 86, which runs through Holcomb’s hometown of Richland, as a Fallen Hero Memorial Highway, Bates wrote in his email.

The first step in that process is having the Oregon Legislature pass a concurrent resolution honoring the person for whom the highway section would be dedicated.

Owens introduced that resolution, which was scheduled for a reading in the House on Monday, Feb. 21.

Owens said he was pleased to introduce the resolution and to support Duggan’s proposal to honor Holcomb.

Bates also testified in favor of the resolution on Feb. 15 during a meeting of the House Rules Committee.

Holcomb is one of just 13 Oregonians bestowed with the Medal of Honor.

That medal, and Holcomb’s other military medals, are displayed at the Baker County Courthouse, 1995 Third St. Holcomb’s family offered the items to the county for public display in 2014.

Holcomb Park, the county park on Brownlee Reservoir near Richland, was named for John Holcomb and dedicated on July 4, 1993.

Holcomb, who was born on June 11, 1946, in Baker City, graduated from Eagle Valley High School at Richland in 1964.

President Richard Nixon awarded Holcomb’s Medal of Honor to his parents, George and Wadean Holcomb, in 1971 in Washington, D.C.

Holcomb was killed during a firefight in which, according to the citation that accompanied his Medal of Honor, he demonstrated “indomitable will and courage after his unit was attacked from three sides.”

When the machine-gunner in Holcomb’s squad was hurt, Holcomb “seized the weapon, ran to a forward edge of the position, and placed withering fire on the enemy. His gallant actions caused the enemy to withdraw.”

After the first attack, Holcomb carried several of his wounded comrades to a safer spot.

Holcomb manned the machine gun again and repulsed a second enemy attack, but a rocket exploded near his position, destroying the machine gun and wounding Holcomb. The enemy artillery also ignited a grass fire.

Even after he was wounded, Holcomb “crawled through a grass fire and exploding mortar and rocket rounds to move the members of his squad, every one of whom had been wounded, to more secure positions.”

Then Holcomb crawled to a radio and reported the attack. His report allowed other units to pinpoint fire on the area and defeat the third and final attack.

On the occasion of Holcomb Park’s dedication, Baker City Realtor Mike Nelson described Holcomb as “a man who exemplified the ultimate plateau of human behavior.”

Prior to Veterans Day 2019, Jimmy Robbins, a Florida soldier who served in the same unit with Holcomb in Vietnam — D Company of the 2nd battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division — said in an interview with the Baker City Herald that Holcomb’s heroism quite likely saved Robbins’ life among many others that December day.

A total of 23 American soldiers were killed in the firefight, and 53 — Robbins among them — were wounded.

Robbins, who lives in Alabama, said that although he wasn’t a close friend with Holcomb, he enjoyed spending time with the Oregon soldier.

“You could tell how he cared about people,” Robbins said.

He remembers in particular that Holcomb once shared with him and other soldiers the homemade jerky and elderberry wine that his grandfather had sent from Baker County.

Baker County’s other Fallen Hero Memorial Highway

In 2015 the Oregon Legislature designated a section of Oregon Highway 7 near Baker City as “Mabry Anders Memorial Highway” in honor of the Baker City soldier who was killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 27, 2012, at age 21.

The bill designates Milepost 36, near Phillips Reservoir, in honor of Anders.