James Anderson, Jr. was born in Compton, California in 1947, in January. While serving in Vietnam in February 1967, when he was barely twenty years old, U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. James Anderson saved the lives of his fellow platoon members. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his selfless sacrifice that day. He was the first African-American Marine to receive that honor.
Cam Lo, Vietnam
Company F, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division had been sent out on a rescue mission near Cam Lo, Quan Tri province. A reconnaissance platoon on patrol in the dense jungle of the central coast region of Vietnam had been ambushed and surrounded. They were pinned down by a numerically superior enemy force and had called for help.
Pfc. James Anderson, Jr. USMC
Pfc. Anderson was a rifleman in the lead platoon. As his platoon neared the distressed patrol, they suddenly were ambushed themselves. They immediately formed a defensive line, but they were out in front of the rest of the company, and were relatively exposed.
In the midst of the fierce firefight that followed, an enemy grenade landed right next to Anderson’s head. Without hesitation he grabbed the grenade and pulled it in toward his middle. He curled himself around it, shielding his platoon mates from the blast.
Anderson was killed instantly, and some of his team members were wounded in spite of his sacrifice. All of them lived, however, and were able to fight their way back to safety. Pfc. Anderson’s sacrifice and Medal broke another color barrier, as Marines all over the world heard of his sacrifice.
Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a rifleman, Second Platoon, Company F, Second Battalion, Third Marines, Third Marine Division, in Vietnam on 28 February 1967. Company F was advancing in dense jungle northwest of Cam Lo in an effort to extract a heavily besieged reconnaissance patrol. Private First Class Anderson’s platoon was the lead element and had advanced only about 200 meters when they were brought under extremely intense enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire. The platoon reacted swiftly, getting on line as best they could in the thick terrain, and began returning fire. Private First Class Anderson found himself tightly bunched together with the other members of the platoon only 20 meters from the enemy positions. As the fire fight continued several of the men were wounded by the deadly enemy assault. Suddenly, an enemy grenade landed in the midst of the Marines and rolled alongside Private First Class Anderson’s head. Unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own personal safety, he reached out, grasped the grenade, pulled it to his chest and curled around it as it went off. Although several Marines received shrapnel from the grenade, his body absorbed the major force of the explosion. In this singularly heroic act, Private First Class Anderson saved his comrades from serious injury and possible death. His personal heroism, extraordinary valor, and inspirational supreme self-sacrifice reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
USNS PFC James Anderson Jr.
The prepositioning ship USNS PFC James Anderson Jr. (T-AK 3002) was named in honor of Pfc. Anderson’s sacrifice. The Navy’s 14 Maritime Prepositioning Ships (MPS) pre-position U.S. Marine Corps vehicles, equipment and ammunition throughout the world. They are an important part of the global reach of the U.S. Marine Corps.
The MPS ships in each squadron have sufficient equipment, supplies and ammunition to support a Marine Expeditionary Brigade of about 17,000 personnel for 30 days. There are three MPS squadrons worldwide. They are located in the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean at Diego Garcia, and the Western Pacific at Guam and Saipan. Each ship carries its own crane for loading and unloading, so they are not dependent on any port service or facility.
Other Honors
In Carson, California, at the corner of Wilmington and University, there stands a city park named James Anderson Jr. Memorial Park. Anderson Avenue in Compton, California is also named after Pfc. Anderson. Both are near his birthplace.
