Medal of Honor: James E. Williams – Vietnam War – October 31, 1966

Name: James Elliott Williams
Rank: Boatswain’s Mate First Class (PO1c), U.S. Navy
War: Vietnam War
Date of Action: October 31, 1966
Unit: River Section 531, Task Force 116, River Patrol Force (PBR 105)
Born: June 13, 1930 – Rock Hill, South Carolina
Entered Service At: Columbia, South Carolina

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Summary of Action

As the leader of River Patrol Boat 105 in the tangled waterways of the Mekong Delta, Petty Officer First Class James E. Williams faced one of the fiercest small-boat battles in U.S. Navy history. On the night of October 31, 1966, his two-boat patrol was ambushed by Viet Cong sampans and heavy fire from the riverbanks. Outnumbered and surrounded, Williams didn’t retreat—he attacked.

Charging straight into the fire, he maneuvered his PBR through curtains of tracer rounds, directing return fire and personally engaging the enemy with deadly precision. When he discovered an entire fleet of armed enemy craft hidden in the darkness, Williams made the audacious choice to strike first—charging through their formation, sinking and destroying dozens of sampans and junks before reinforcements could arrive.

For over three relentless hours, Williams led his men in a running battle that left 65 enemy boats destroyed and countless enemy dead. When his ammunition ran low, he pressed on, using the boats’ searchlights to illuminate new targets and direct airstrikes from circling helicopters. His actions that night broke the back of a massive Viet Cong supply operation and proved why the Navy’s river warriors were among the most fearless men of the war.

James E. Williams’ unmatched bravery and leadership in the Mekong earned him the Medal of Honor and a place among the most decorated sailors in American naval history.

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Medal of Honor Citation

Rank and organization: Boatswain’s Mate First Class (PO1c), U.S. Navy, River Section 531, My Tho, Republic of Vietnam.
Place and date: Mekong River, Republic of Vietnam, 31 October 1966.
Entered service at: Columbia, S.C.
Born: 13 June 1930, Rock Hill, S.C.

Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. PO1c. Williams was serving as Boat Captain and Patrol Officer aboard River Patrol Boat (PBR) 105 accompanied by another patrol boat when the patrol was suddenly taken under fire by 2 enemy sampans. PO1c. Williams immediately ordered the fire returned, killing the crew of 1 enemy boat and causing the other sampan to take refuge in a nearby river inlet. Pursuing the fleeing sampan, the U.S. patrol encountered a heavy volume of small-arms fire from enemy forces, at close range, occupying well-concealed positions along the river bank. Maneuvering through this fire, the patrol confronted a numerically superior enemy force aboard 2 enemy junks and 8 sampans augmented by heavy automatic weapons fire from ashore. In the savage battle that ensued, PO1c. Williams, with utter disregard for his safety exposed himself to the withering hail of enemy fire to direct counter-fire and inspire the actions of his patrol. Recognizing the overwhelming strength of the enemy force, PO1c. Williams deployed his patrol to await the arrival of armed helicopters. In the course of his movement his discovered an even larger concentration of enemy boats. Not waiting for the arrival of the armed helicopters, he displayed great initiative and boldly led the patrol through the intense enemy fire and damaged or destroyed 50 enemy sampans and 7 junks. This phase of the action completed, and with the arrival of the armed helicopters, PO1c. Williams directed the attack on the remaining enemy force. Now virtually dark, and although PO1c. Williams was aware that his boats would become even better targets, he ordered the patrol boats’ search lights turned on to better illuminate the area and moved the patrol perilously close to shore to press the attack. Despite a waning supply of ammunition the patrol successfully engaged the enemy ashore and completed the rout of the enemy force. Under the leadership of PO 1 c. Williams, who demonstrated unusual professional skill and indomitable courage throughout the 3 hour battle, the patrol accounted for the destruction or loss of 65 enemy boats and inflicted numerous casualties on the enemy personnel. His extraordinary heroism and exemplary fighting spirit in the face of grave risks inspired the efforts of his men to defeat a larger enemy force, and are in keeping with the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.