James E. Williams

Drove two patrol boats into a deadly Mekong ambush

James Elliott Williams earned the Medal of Honor for leading two U.S. Navy river patrol boats through a three-hour battle against a vastly superior enemy force in Vietnam. On 31 October 1966, the Boatswain’s Mate First Class was commanding PBR 105 and its accompanying patrol boat on the Mekong River when two enemy sampans opened fire.

Williams immediately directed his crews to return fire. Pursuing the surviving sampan, the patrol encountered concealed enemy positions along the riverbanks and a larger force of armed boats. Amid intense small-arms and automatic-weapons fire, he repeatedly exposed himself to direct his sailors’ fire and keep the patrol fighting.

After requesting armed helicopter support, Williams discovered another concentration of enemy vessels. Rather than surrender the initiative, he led both patrol boats through the enemy fire, attacking the gathering craft before the helicopters arrived. He then coordinated the combined assault against the remaining opposition.

As darkness fell, Williams ordered the patrol boats’ searchlights switched on, knowingly making his vessels more visible to enemy gunners. Moving close to shore despite dwindling ammunition, his crews continued attacking enemy positions. His Medal of Honor citation credits the patrol with the destruction or loss of 65 enemy boats.

Born on 13 June 1930 in South Carolina, Williams served in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars during a Navy career spanning approximately twenty years. His decorations included the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, two Navy and Marine Corps Medals, three Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts. President Lyndon B. Johnson presented his Medal of Honor on 14 May 1968.

Williams retired in 1967 as a Boatswain’s Mate First Class and received the honorary title of Chief Boatswain’s Mate in 1977. His public service continued after the Navy, including appointment as U.S. Marshal for the District of South Carolina in 1969. The guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG-95), commissioned in 2004, carries his name and preserves the example of a sailor who led from the front.