While serving in South Vietnam as a medic with the rank of specialist five assigned to 1st Battalion of the 503rd Infantry 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.

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, War Zone "D" in South Vietnam, conducting Operation Hump.

When his medical supplies were depleted, he hobbled around the battlefield for more, using a makeshift crutch while SP4 Randy Eickhoff ran ahead of him and provided covering fire.

[clarification needed] After the firefight which lasted over twenty-four hours, Joel was hospitalized and shipped to locations including Saigon and Tokyo to recover.

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.

SP6 Joel demonstrated indomitable courage, determination, and professional skill when a numerically superior and well-concealed Viet Cong element launched a vicious attack which wounded or killed nearly every man in the lead squad of the company.

Throughout the long battle, SP6 Joel never lost sight of his mission as a medical aidman and continued to comfort and treat the wounded until his own evacuation was ordered.

SP6 Joel's profound concern for his fellow soldiers, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

[5] The first military memorial named in his honor was Joel Drive, which encircles Blanchfield Community Hospital at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, dedicated in 1985.