Joe Ronnie Hooper was born in Piedmont, South Carolina on August 8, 1938. Serving as a Staff Sergeant in Company D, 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, he earned the Medal of Honor on February 21, 1968, near Hue, Vietnam. His other decorations included two Silver Stars, six Bronze Stars, and eight Purple Hearts. He died of natural causes at home on May 6, 1979, and was buried in Section 46 at Arlington National Cemetery.