Officer Candidates School Dedicates
Barracks to Fallen Vietnam Veteran
By Cpl. Justin P. Lago
Combat Correspondent

"Although wounded several times,  he succeeded in reaching the machine gun  bunker and silencing  the fire from  that sector moments  before he was mortally  wounded," states  an excerpt from the  Medal of Honor citation of  Staff Sergeant Karl G. Taylor, Sr.,  who  was killed in action during an act of courage during the Vietnam War.

Officer Candidates School conducted a dedication ceremony Friday, June 21, 2006  for the newly  constructed  OCS Bachelor  Enlisted Quarters.  Taylor  Hall, which  now  bears  the name  of  the  fallen  veteran,  was  finished  in  November 2005  and currently houses  112 Marines.

The building was dedicated by  LtGen. Martin R. Steele, USMC (Ret) who was  very close to Taylor in friendship and professionalism through the times they served together.  Steele spoke of the first time the two met at  OCS and how Taylor mentored Steel  while he was a corporal  assigned  to  OCS  and  worked  for  Taylor.   "I  remember  the  first  time I met Taylor,"  said Steel  as he looked at the  painting of Taylor on  display.  "He  was  a  cut of granite in his size and demeanor.  I was privileged  to have him as  a  mentor."  Steel  went on to talk of his experiences transitioning from enlisted to officer through the OCS training and how Taylor was involved with training Steel as an officer.

"It has meant a lot to me and the family to have  the building named after my father," said Karl G. Taylor, Jr.  "I know that if he were here right now he would be saying that  he was just doing his job."

Taylor, Sr.,  was  born July 14, 1939, in  Laurel, Md.  He  graduated  from  Arundel  Junior High School in 1953, and then attended Arundel Senior High School for three years.  After leaving high school, he was employed by a construction company as a Tourna Pull-Scraper Operator.  In 1961,  he received  a high school  equivalency  test  from the  Armed  Forces Institute in Madison, Wis.

He  enlisted  in  the  Marine Corps along  with his brother,  Walter William Taylor,  at  the Recruiting  Station in Baltimore January 15, 1959 and attended Recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C.  Later, Taylor returned to Parris Island  to attend the drill Instructor School and he then served as a drill instructor until January 1963.

After  being  assigned to sevral duty stations, Taylor  was sent to Quantico to train Officer Candidates  until  February 1968, when  he returned  to  the  Far East  and  the 3d  Marine Division (Rein), Fleet Marine Marine Force, this  time for duty as a Platoon Sergeant and Company  Gunnery  Sergeant  of  Company  I, 3d  Battalion,  26th  Marine  Regiment.  He deployed to Vietnam with his new unit.

Taylor  was  cited for  his courage and  inspiring  leadership on  December 8,  1968  during Operation Meade River  when he charged across an  open  rice  paddy  toward  an  enemy machine gun position.  Firing  a grenade  launcher as he ran and  in full view of  the enemy, Taylor succeeded in reachimng the machine gun bunker, silencing the enemy fire moments before he fell moratlly wounded.

President  Richard M. Nixon  awarded posthumously the Medal of Honor to  the family of SSgt. Karl G. Taylor during  a joint-service ceremony at  the White House on February 16, 1971.

"He is my hero and the epitome of what it is to be a Marine," said Steele.  "Taylpor is the first thing I think of when I wake in  the morning and the last conscious thought I have as I pray for his mortal soul."