James Elliott Williams (November 13, 1930 – October 13, 1999) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

law enforcement officer and honorary

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

chief boatswain's mate who was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. Boatswain's Mate First Class Williams was one of 32 Native Americans to receive the medal and is considered to be the most decorated

enlisted man An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States ...

in the history of the United States Navy.

Early life

Williams was born in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and moved two months later with his parents to

Darlington, South Carolina Darlington is a city located in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. In 2010, its population was 6,289. It is the county seat of Darlington County. It is part of the Florence, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. Darlington ...

where he spent his early childhood and youth. He attended the local schools and graduated from St. John's high school.

Navy service

Williams enlisted in the

on August 8, 1947, at the age of 16, and completed basic training at Naval Training Center San Diego. He served for almost twenty years, retiring on April 26, 1967, as a boatswain's mate first class. During those years, he served in both the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and

. On May 14, 1968, Williams was presented the Medal of Honor by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

during the dedication ceremony of the "Hall of Heroes" in

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a meton ...

. In 1977, he received the honorary title of chief boatswain's mate. During the Korean War, Williams served aboard the destroyer from November 1950 to June 1952. He served off the coast of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

where he was detached off the destroyer to take raiding parties into

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

on small boats from March to June 1952. Petty Officer Williams served aboard from June 1960 through April 1963, reenlisting aboard ''Little Rock'' in April 1962. In April 1966, with the enlisted rank of

petty officer first class Petty officer first class (PO1) is a rank found in some navies and maritime organizations. Canada Petty officer, 1st class, PO1, is a Naval non-commissioned member rank of the Canadian Forces. It is senior to the rank of petty officer 2nd-clas ...

and the rating of boatswain's mate 1st class (BM1), Williams was assigned in May to the River Patrol Force, River Squadron Five, in command of

River Patrol Boat A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wat ...

105 (PBR-105). The force's mission was to intercept

Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

and People's Army of Vietnam arms shipments, supplies, and personnel on the waterways of South Vietnam's Mekong Delta and to keep innocent boat traffic on the river and canals safe. On October 31, 1966, Williams was commanding ''PBR 105'' alongside another PBR searching for Viet Cong

guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tacti ...

operating in an isolated area of the Mekong Delta. Suddenly, Viet Cong manning two sampans opened fire on the Americans. While Williams and his men neutralized one sampan, the other one escaped into a nearby canal. The PBRs gave chase and soon found themselves in a beehive of enemy activity as the VC opened fire on them with

rocket propelled grenade A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads ar ...

s and small arms from fortified river bank positions. Williams repeatedly led the PBRs against concentrations of enemy junks and sampans. He also called for support from the heavily armed UH-1B Huey helicopters of

HA(L)-3 HA(L)-3, (Helicopter Attack Squadron (Light) 3), nicknamed the "Seawolves", was an all-volunteer squadron in the US Navy formed in support of Naval Special Warfare operations and Mobile Riverine Forces during the Vietnam War. Beginnings of the Na ...

. When that help arrived, he kicked off another attack in the failing light. As a result of the three-hour battle, the U.S. naval force killed 1,000 Viet Cong guerrillas, destroyed over fifty vessels, and disrupted a major enemy logistic operation. For his actions on that date he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

U.S. Marshals Service

After retiring from the navy in April 1967, Williams worked for the

Wackenhut G4S Secure Solutions (USA) is an American / British-based security services company, and a subsidiary of G4S plc. It was founded as The Wackenhut Corporation in 1954, in Coral Gables, Florida, by George Wackenhut and three partners (all are f ...

Corporation. In 1969, he was appointed

U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...

for the District of South Carolina, where he served until May 1977. He was then transferred to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center,

Glynco, Georgia Glynco is an area in Glynn County, Georgia located on the northwestern edge of Brunswick, Georgia. Glynco is a portmanteau of the words "Glynn County". History In 1942 the Naval Air Station Glynco was established on the area now known as Glynco. ...

, as an instructor and National Armorer. He was called back to South Carolina in July 1979 under court appointment as U.S. Marshal for South Carolina and served in that position until April 1980. He was then transferred to U.S. Marshals Service Headquarters,

Washington, D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

, as Programs Manager, Health and Safety and In-District Training Officer where he served until his retirement from the U.S. Marshals Service with the grade of GS-1811-15.

Personal life

In 1949, Williams married the former Elaine Weaver and they had five children (daughter, Debbie, sons, James E. "Jr.", Stephen Michael, Charles E., and daughter, Gail) and seven grandchildren.

Death

Williams died on October 13, 1999; he was buried at the

Florence National Cemetery Florence National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Florence, South Carolina. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as of 2021, had over 12,000 interments. Hist ...

in Florence, South Carolina.

Military awards

Williams' decorations and awards include: * 4 gold

service stripe A service stripe is an embroidered diagonal stripe worn on the sleeve(s) of some military and paramilitary uniforms. In the case of the United States military, service stripes are authorized for wear by enlisted personnel on the lower part of the ...

Medal of Honor citation

Navy Cross citation

Citation:

Other honors

* Navy Special Boat Unit 20 headquarters at

Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

, was dedicated the BM1 James E. Williams Building in 1997. * Navy guided missile destroyer was named and christened in his honor on June 28, 2003, at

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is part of the Gulfport– Biloxi–Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area. The population was 2 ...

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, James E. 1930 births 1999 deaths United States Navy non-commissioned officers United States Navy personnel of the Korean War United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War Vietnam War recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Navy and Marine Corps Medal Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) United States Marshals People from Fort Mill, South Carolina