VIETNAM WAR
MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS
(I-J)
*N.B. An asterisk in the
citation indicates that the award was given posthumously.
*INGALLS, GEORGE ALAN
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 2d
Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Place and date:
Near Duc Pho, Republic of Vietnam, 16 April 1967. Entered service at: Los
Angeles, Calif. Born: 9 March 1946, Hanford, Calif. Citation: For
conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Ingalls, a member of Company A,
accompanied his squad on a night ambush mission. Shortly after the ambush
was established, an enemy soldier entered the killing zone and was shot when
he tried to evade capture. Other enemy soldiers were expected to enter the
area, and the ambush was maintained in the same location. Two quiet hours
passed without incident, then suddenly a hand grenade was thrown from the
nearby dense undergrowth into the center of the squad's position. The
grenade did not explode, but shortly thereafter a second grenade landed
directly between Sp4c. Ingalls and a nearby comrade. Although he could have
jumped to a safe position, Sp4c. Ingalls, in a spontaneous act of great
courage, threw himself on the grenade and absorbed its full blast. The
explosion mortally wounded Sp4c. Ingalls, but his heroic action saved the
lives of the remaining members of his squad. His gallantry and selfless
devotion to his comrades are in keeping with the highest traditions of the
military service and reflects great credit upon Sp4c. Ingalls, his unit, and
the U.S. Army.
JACKSON, JOE M.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force, 311th Air
Commando Squadron, Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam. Place and date: Kham Duc,
Republic of Vietnam, 12 May 1968. Entered service at: Newman, Ga. Born: 14
March 1923, Newman, Ga. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity
in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Lt.
Col. Jackson distinguished himself as pilot of a C-123 aircraft. Lt. Col.
Jackson volunteered to attempt the rescue of a 3-man USAF Combat Control
Team from the special forces camp at Kham Duc. Hostile forces had overrun
the forward outpost and established gun positions on the airstrip. They were
raking the camp with small arms, mortars, light and heavy automatic weapons,
and recoilless rifle fire. The camp was engulfed in flames and ammunition
dumps were continuously exploding and littering the runway with debris. In
addition, 8 aircraft had been destroyed by the intense enemy fire and 1
aircraft remained on the runway reducing its usable length to only 2,200
feet. To further complicate the landing, the weather was deteriorating
rapidly, thereby permitting only 1 air strike prior to his landing. Although
fully aware of the extreme danger and likely failure of such an attempt. Lt.
Col. Jackson elected to land his aircraft and attempt to rescue. Displaying
superb airmanship and extraordinary heroism, he landed his aircraft near the
point where the combat control team was reported to be hiding. While on the
ground, his aircraft was the target of intense hostile fire. A rocket landed
in front of the nose of the aircraft but failed to explode. Once the combat
control team was aboard, Lt. Col. Jackson succeeded in getting airborne
despite the hostile fire directed across the runway in front of his
aircraft. Lt. Col. Jackson's profound concern for his fellowmen, at the risk
of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the
highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon
himself, and the Armed Forces of his country.
JACOBS, JACK H.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, U.S. Army Element, U.S.
Military Assistance Command, Republic of Vietnam. Place and date: Kien Phong
Province, Republic of Vietnam, 9 March 1968. Entered service at: Trenton,
N.J. Born: 2 August 1945, Brooklyn, N.Y. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry
and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call
of duty. Capt. Jacobs (then 1st Lt.), Infantry, distinguished himself while
serving as assistant battalion advisor, 2d Battalion, 16th Infantry, 9th
Infantry Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam. The 2d Battalion was
advancing to contact when it came under intense heavy machine gun and mortar
fire from a Viet Cong battalion positioned in well fortified bunkers. As the
2d Battalion deployed into attack formation its advance was halted by
devastating fire. Capt. Jacobs, with the command element of the lead
company, called for and directed air strikes on the enemy positions to
facilitate a renewed attack. Due to the intensity of the enemy fire and
heavy casualties to the command group, including the company commander, the
attack stopped and the friendly troops became disorganized. Although wounded
by mortar fragments, Capt. Jacobs assumed command of the allied company,
ordered a withdrawal from the exposed position and established a defensive
perimeter. Despite profuse bleeding from head wounds which impaired his
vision, Capt. Jacobs, with complete disregard for his safety, returned under
intense fire to evacuate a seriously wounded advisor to the safety of a
wooded area where he administered lifesaving first aid. He then returned
through heavy automatic weapons fire to evacuate the wounded company
commander. Capt. Jacobs made repeated trips across the fire-swept open rice
paddies evacuating wounded and their weapons. On 3 separate occasions, Capt.
Jacobs contacted and drove off Viet Cong squads who were searching for
allied wounded and weapons, single-handedly killing 3 and wounding several
others. His gallant actions and extraordinary heroism saved the lives of 1
U.S. advisor and 13 allied soldiers. Through his effort the allied company
was restored to an effective fighting unit and prevented defeat of the
friendly forces by a strong and determined enemy. Capt. Jacobs, by his
gallantry and bravery in action in the highest traditions of the military
service, has reflected great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S.
Army.
JENKINS, DON J.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 2d
Battalion, 39th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. Place and date: Kien Phong
Province, Republic of Vietnam, 6 January 1969. Entered service at:
Nashville, Tenn. Born: 18 April 1948, Quality, Ky. Citation: For conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond
the call of duty. S/Sgt. Jenkins (then Pfc.), Company A, distinguished
himself while serving as a machine gunner on a reconnaissance mission. When
his company came under heavy crossfire from an enemy complex, S/Sgt. Jenkins
unhesitatingly maneuvered forward to a perilously exposed position and began
placing suppressive fire on the enemy. When his own machine gun jammed, he
immediately obtained a rifle and continued to fire into the enemy bunkers
until his machine gun was made operative by his assistant. He exposed
himself to extremely heavy fire when he repeatedly both ran and crawled
across open terrain to obtain resupplies of ammunition until he had
exhausted all that was available for his machine gun. Displaying tremendous
presence of mind, he then armed himself with 2 antitank weapons and, by
himself, maneuvered through the hostile fusillade to within 20 meters of an
enemy bunker to destroy that position. After moving back to the friendly
defensive perimeter long enough to secure yet another weapon, a grenade
launcher, S/Sgt. Jenkins moved forward to a position providing no protection
and resumed placing accurate fire on the enemy until his ammunition was
again exhausted. During this time he was seriously wounded by shrapnel.
Undaunted and displaying great courage, he moved forward 100 meters to aid a
friendly element that was pinned down only a few meters from the enemy. This
he did with complete disregard for his own wound and despite having been
advised that several previous rescue attempts had failed at the cost of the
life of 1 and the wounding of others. Ignoring the continuing intense fire
and his painful wounds, and hindered by darkness, he made 3 trips to the
beleaguered unit, each time pulling a wounded comrade back to safety. S/Sgt.
Jenkins' extraordinary valor, dedication, and indomitable spirit inspired
his fellow soldiers to repulse the determined enemy attack and ultimately to
defeat the larger force. S/Sgt. Jenkins risk of his life reflect great
credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
*JENKINS, ROBERT H., JR.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, 3d
Reconnaissance Battalion, 3d Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date:
Fire Support Base Argonne, Republic of Vietnam, 5 March 1969. Entered
service at: Jacksonville, Fla. Born: 1 June 1948, Interlachen, Fla.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a machine gunner with
Company C, 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, in connection with operations
against enemy forces. Early in the morning Pfc. Jenkins' 12-man
reconnaissance team was occupying a defensive position at Fire Support Base
Argonne south of the Demilitarized Zone. Suddenly, the marines were
assaulted by a North Vietnamese Army platoon employing mortars, automatic
weapons, and hand grenades. Reacting instantly, Pfc. Jenkins and another
marine quickly moved into a 2-man fighting emplacement, and as they boldly
delivered accurate machine gun fire against the enemy, a North Vietnamese
soldier threw a hand grenade into the friendly emplacement. Fully realizing
the inevitable results of his actions, Pfc. Jenkins quickly seized his
comrade, and pushing the man to the ground, he leaped on top of the marine
to shield him from the explosion. Absorbing the full impact of the
detonation, Pfc. Jenkins was seriously injured and subsequently succumbed to
his wounds. His courage, inspiring valor and selfless devotion to duty saved
a fellow marine from serious injury or possible death and upheld the highest
traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave
his life for his country.
JENNINGS, DELBERT O.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 1st
Battalion (Airborne), 12th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division. Place and
date: Kim Song Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 27 December 1966. Entered
service at: San Francisco, Calif. Born: 23 July 1936, Silver City, N. Mex.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life
above and beyond the call of duty. Part of Company C was defending an
artillery position when attacked by a North Vietnamese Army regiment
supported by mortar, recoilless-rifle, and machine gun fire. At the outset,
S/Sgt. Jennings sprang to his bunker, astride the main attack route, and
slowed the on-coming enemy wave with highly effective machine gun fire.
Despite a tenacious defense in which he killed at least 12 of the enemy, his
squad was forced to the rear. After covering the withdrawal of the squad, he
rejoined his men, destroyed an enemy demolition crew about to blow up a
nearby howitzer, and killed 3 enemy soldiers at his initial bunker position.
Ordering his men back into a secondary position, he again covered their
withdrawal, killing 1 enemy with the butt of his weapon. Observing that some
of the defenders were unaware of an enemy force in their rear, he raced
through a fire-swept area to warn the men, turn their fire on the enemy, and
lead them into the secondary perimeter. Assisting in the defense of the new
position, he aided the air-landing of reinforcements by throwing white
phosphorous grenades on the landing zone despite dangerously silhouetting
himself with the light. After helping to repulse the final enemy assaults,
he led a group of volunteers well beyond friendly lines to an area where 8
seriously wounded men lay. Braving enemy sniper fire and ignoring the
presence of booby traps in the area, they recovered the 8 men who would have
probably perished without early medical treatment. S/Sgt. Jenning's
extraordinary heroism and inspirational leadership saved the lives of many
of his comrades and contributed greatly to the defeat of a superior enemy
force. His actions stand with the highest traditions of the military
profession and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S.
Army.
*JIMENEZ, JOSE FRANCISCO
Rank and organization: Lance Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, Company K, 3d
Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Place and date: Quang Nam
Province, Republic of Vietnam, 28 August 1969. Entered service at: Phoenix,
Ariz. Born: 20 March 1946, Mexico City, Mex. Citation: For conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call
of duty while serving as a fire team leader with Company K, in operations
against the enemy. L/Cpl. Jimenez' unit came under heavy attack by North
Vietnamese soldiers concealed in well camouflaged emplacements. L/Cpl.
Jimenez reacted by seizing the initiative and plunging forward toward the
enemy positions. He personally destroyed several enemy personnel and
silenced an antiaircraft weapon. Shouting encouragement to his companions,
L/Cpl. Jimenez continued his aggressive forward movement. He slowly
maneuvered to within 10 feet of hostile soldiers who were firing automatic
weapons from a trench and, in the face of vicious enemy fire, destroyed the
position. Although he was by now the target of concentrated fire from
hostile gunners intent upon halting his assault, L/Cpl. Jimenez continued to
press forward. As he moved to attack another enemy soldier, he was mortally
wounded. L/Cpl. Jimenez' indomitable courage, aggressive fighting spirit and
unfaltering devotion to duty upheld the highest traditions of the Marine
Corps and of the U.S. Naval Service.
JOEL, LAWRENCE
Rank and organization: Specialist Sixth Class (then Sp5c), U.S. Army,
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503d
Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 8
November 1965, Entered service at: New York City, N.Y. G.O. No.: 15, 5 April
1967. Born: 22 February 1928, Winston-Salem, N.C. Citation: For conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of
duty. Sp6c. 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. After treating the men wounded by the
initial burst of gunfire, he bravely moved forward to assist others who were
wounded while proceeding to their objective. While moving from man to man,
he was struck in the right leg by machine gun fire. Although painfully
wounded his desire to aid his fellow soldiers transcended all personal
feeling. He bandaged his own wound and self-administered morphine to deaden
the pain enabling him to continue his dangerous undertaking. Through this
period of time, he constantly shouted words of encouragement to all around
him. Then, completely ignoring the warnings of others, and his pain, he
continued his search for wounded, exposing himself to hostile fire; and, as
bullets dug up the dirt around him, he held plasma bottles high while
kneeling completely engrossed in his life saving mission. Then, after being
struck a second time and with a bullet lodged in his thigh, he dragged
himself over the battlefield and succeeded in treating 13 more men before
his medical supplies ran out. Displaying resourcefulness, he saved the life
of 1 man by placing a plastic bag over a severe chest wound to congeal the
blood. As 1 of the platoons pursued the Viet Cong, an insurgent force in
concealed positions opened fire on the platoon and wounded many more
soldiers. With a new stock of medical supplies, Sp6c. Joel again shouted
words of encouragement as he crawled through an intense hail of gunfire to
the wounded men. After the 24 hour battle subsided and the Viet Cong dead
numbered 410, snipers continued to harass the company. Throughout the long
battle, Sp6c. 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. His meticulous attention to duty saved a large number of lives and
his unselfish, daring example under most adverse conditions was an
inspiration to all. Sp6c. 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.
JOHNSON, DWIGHT H.
Rank and organization: Specialist Fifth Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 1st
Battalion, 69th Armor, 4th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Dak To,
Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, 15 January 1968. Entered service at:
Detriot, Mich. Born: 7 May 1947, Detroit, Mich. Citation: For conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call
of duty. Sp5c. Johnson, a tank driver with Company B, was a member of a
reaction force moving to aid other elements of his platoon, which was in
heavy contact with a battalion size North Vietnamese force. Sp5c. Johnson's
tank, upon reaching the point of contact, threw a track and became
immobilized. Realizing that he could do no more as a driver, he climbed out
of the vehicle, armed only with a .45 caliber pistol. Despite intense
hostile fire, Sp5c. Johnson killed several enemy soldiers before he had
expended his ammunition. Returning to his tank through a heavy volume of
antitank rocket, small arms and automatic weapons fire, he obtained a
sub-machine gun with which to continue his fight against the advancing
enemy. Armed with this weapon, Sp5c. Johnson again braved deadly enemy fire
to return to the center of the ambush site where he courageously eliminated
more of the determined foe. Engaged in extremely close combat when the last
of his ammunition was expended, he killed an enemy soldier with the stock
end of his submachine gun. Now weaponless, Sp5c. Johnson ignored the enemy
fire around him, climbed into his platoon sergeant's tank, extricated a
wounded crewmember and carried him to an armored personnel carrier. He then
returned to the same tank and assisted in firing the main gun until it
jammed. In a magnificent display of courage, Sp5c. Johnson exited the tank
and again armed only with a .45 caliber pistol, engaged several North
Vietnamese troops in close proximity to the vehicle. Fighting his way
through devastating fire and remounting his own immobilized tank, he
remained fully exposed to the enemy as he bravely and skillfully engaged
them with the tank's externally-mounted .50 caliber machine gun; where he
remained until the situation was brought under control. Sp5c. Johnson's
profound concern for his fellow soldiers, at the risk of his life above and
beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the
military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.
*JOHNSON, RALPH H.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company A,
1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and
date: Near the Quan Duc Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 5 March 1968. Entered
service at: Oakland, Calif. Born: 11 January 1949, Charleston, S.C.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a reconnaissance scout
with Company A, in action against the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong
forces. In the early morning hours during Operation ROCK, Pfc. Johnson was a
member of a 15-man reconnaissance patrol manning an observation post on Hill
146 overlooking the Quan Duc Valley deep in enemy controlled territory. They
were attacked by a platoon-size hostile force employing automatic weapons,
satchel charges and hand grenades. Suddenly, a hand grenade landed in the
3-man fighting hole occupied by Pfc. Johnson and 2 fellow marines. Realizing
the inherent danger to his 2 comrades, he shouted a warning and
unhesitatingly hurled himself upon the explosive device. When the grenade
exploded, Pfc. Johnson absorbed the tremendous impact of the blast and was
killed instantly. His prompt and heroic act saved the life of 1 marine at
the cost of his life and undoubtedly prevented the enemy from penetrating
his sector of the patrol's perimeter. Pfc. Johnson's courage, inspiring
valor and selfless devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest
traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave
his life for his country.
*JOHNSTON, DONALD R.
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company D, 1st
Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. Place and date: Tay Ninh
Province, Republic of Vietnam, 21 March 1969. Entered service at: Columbus,
Ga. Born: 19 November 1947, Columbus, Ga. Citation: For conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond
the call of duty. Sp4c. Johnston distinguished himself while serving as a
mortarman with Company D, at a fire support base in Tay Ninh Province. Sp4c.
Johnston's company was in defensive positions when it came under a
devastating rocket and mortar attack. Under cover of the bombardment, enemy
sappers broke through the defensive perimeter and began hurling explosive
charges into the main defensive bunkers. Sp4c. Johnston and 6 of his
comrades had moved from their exposed positions to 1 of the bunkers to
continue their fight against the enemy attackers. As they were firing from
the bunker, an enemy soldier threw 3 explosive charges into their position.
Sensing the danger to his comrades, Sp4c. Johnston, with complete disregard
for his safety, hurled himself onto the explosive charges, smothering the
detonations with his body and shielding his fellow soldiers from the blast.
His heroic action saved the lives of 6 of his comrades. Sp4c. Johnston's
concern for his fellow men at the cost of his life were in the highest
traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself,
his unit, and the U.S. Army.
*JONES, WILLIAM A., III
Rank and organization: Colonel, U.S. Air Force, 602d Special Operations
Squadron, Nakon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. Place and date:
Near Dong Hoi, North Vietnam, 1 September 1968. Entered service at:
Charlottesville, Va. Born: 31 May 1922, Norfolk, Va. Citation: For
conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty. Col. Jones distinguished himself as the
pilot of an A-1H Skyraider aircraft near Dong Hoi, North Vietnam. On that
day, as the on-scene commander in the attempted rescue of a downed U.S.
pilot, Col. Jones' aircraft was repeatedly hit by heavy and accurate
antiaircraft fire. On one of his low passes, Col. Jones felt an explosion
beneath his aircraft and his cockpit rapidly filled with smoke. With
complete disregard of the possibility that his aircraft might still be
burning, he unhesitatingly continued his search for the downed pilot. On
this pass, he sighted the survivor and a multiple-barrel gun position firing
at him from near the top of a karst formation. He could not attack the gun
position on that pass for fear he would endanger the downed pilot. Leaving
himself exposed to the gun position, Col. Jones attacked the position with
cannon and rocket fire on 2 successive passes. On his second pass, the
aircraft was hit with multiple rounds of automatic weapons fire. One round
impacted the Yankee Extraction System rocket mounted directly behind the
headrest, igniting the rocket. His aircraft was observed to burst into
flames in the center fuselage section, with flames engulfing the cockpit
area. He pulled the extraction handle, jettisoning the canopy. The influx of
fresh air made the fire burn with greater intensity for a few moments, but
since the rocket motor had already burned, the extraction system did not
pull Col. Jones from the aircraft. Despite searing pains from severe burns
sustained on his arms, hands, neck, shoulders, and face, Col. Jones pulled
his aircraft into a climb and attempted to transmit the location of the
downed pilot and the enemy gun position to the other aircraft in the area.
His calls were blocked by other aircraft transmissions repeatedly directing
him to bail out and within seconds his transmitters were disabled and he
could receive only on 1 channel. Completely disregarding his injuries, he
elected to fly his crippled aircraft back to his base and pass on essential
information for the rescue rather than bail out. Col. Jones successfully
landed his heavily damaged aircraft and passed the information to a
debriefing officer while on the operating table. As a result of his heroic
actions and complete disregard for his personal safety, the downed pilot was
rescued later in the day. Col. Jones' profound concern for his fellow man at
the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with
the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon
himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
A-B
C-D
E-F
G-H
I-J
K-L
M-N
O-P
Q-R
S-T
U-W
X-Z
|
