Wesley Lee Fox (September 30, 1931 – November 24, 2017) was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps colonel with 43 years of service.

Fox was a combat veteran – receiving the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War – and is considered one of the Marine Corps' legendary heroes.

[4] He was wounded in action in Korea on September 8, 1951, and sent to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V".

He recovered and was released from Bethesda in March 1952, he served with the Armed Forces Police, in Washington, D.C., as a patrolman until September 1953 when he was reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11 in Japan.

In December 1960, Fox was ordered back to the West Coast and served as a platoon sergeant with the 1st Force Reconnaissance Company at both Camp Pendleton, California, and on Okinawa through November 1962.

Gunnery Sergeant Fox next saw duty in the Office of the Provost Marshal, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Paris, France.

[6] Returning to the United States in August of that year, he became a platoon commander with the 2d Force Reconnaissance Company at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

As a major, Fox served a tour in Okinawa with 3rd Recon Battalion, then was assigned as Reconnaissance Officer in the Marine Corps Development Center.

During and following his time as a deputy commandant, Fox was a regular guest speaker at Virginia Tech, sharing his experiences with America's next generation of military officers, business executives, and civic leaders.

In 2002, Fox wrote a book about his experiences in the military, Marine Rifleman: Forty-Three Years in the Corps and was featured on the 2003 PBS program American Valor.

In 2011, he wrote a second book, Six Essential Elements of Leadership: Marine Corps Wisdom from a Medal of Honor Recipient, which is required reading for first year cadets at Virginia Tech.

[3][1] Fox's military decorations and awards included: The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to for service as set forth in the following CITATION: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as commanding officer of Company A, in action against the enemy in the northern A Shau Valley.