Marvin Glenn Shields

Fought through wounds and silenced a hostile enemy gun team.

Marvin Glenn Shields was born at Port Townsend, Washington, on 30 December 1939 and grew up in the Gardiner area. After high school he worked on a gold-mining project at Hyder, Alaska. He enlisted in the Navy in 1962 and married Joan Murray that year. As a construction mechanic he joined the Seabees, whose small technical teams combined building work with the ability to defend their projects.

In February 1965 Shields deployed to South Vietnam with Seabee Team 1104, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11. The team worked with an Army Special Forces detachment at Dong Xoai. On 10 June a much larger Viet Cong force attacked the compound with mortars, machine guns and small arms. Although wounded, Shields carried ammunition to the defenders and continued returning fire for about three hours.

During a further assault he helped carry a critically wounded officer to safety. He was wounded again but volunteered to accompany Army Lieutenant Charles Q. Williams in an exposed attack on a machine gun that was preventing movement within the compound. Working together with a rocket launcher, they destroyed the position. Shields was mortally wounded as they withdrew.

His remains returned to Washington and were buried in Gardiner Cemetery. President Lyndon Johnson presented his posthumous Medal of Honor to his widow in September 1966. Williams also received the medal for the battle. Shields became the first Seabee to receive the Medal of Honor and the first Navy member recognized with it for action in Vietnam. A Navy frigate, Seabee facilities and an annual memorial observance at his grave have carried his name into later generations.

Official Medal of Honor citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with United States Navy Seabee Team 1104 at Dong Xoai, Republic of Vietnam, on 10 June 1965. Although wounded when the compound of Detachment A-342, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, came under intense fire from an estimated reinforced Viet Cong regiment employing machine gun, heavy weapons and small arms, Shields continued to resupply his fellow Americans with needed ammunition and to return the enemy fire for a period of approximately three hours, at which time the Viet Cong launched a massive attack at close range with flame throwers, hand grenades and small-arms fire. Wounded a second time during this attack, Shields nevertheless assisted in carrying a more critically wounded man to safety, and then resumed firing at the enemy for four more hours. When the Commander asked for a volunteer to accompany him in an attempt to knock out an enemy machine gun emplacement which was endangering the lives of all personnel in the compound because of the accuracy of its fire, Shields unhesitatingly volunteered for this extremely hazardous mission. Proceeding toward their objective with a 3.5-inch rocket launcher, they succeeded in destroying the enemy machine gun emplacement, thus undoubtedly saving the lives of many of their fellow servicemen in the compound. Shields was mortally wounded by hostile fire while returning to his defensive position. His heroic initiative and great personal valor in the face of intense enemy fire sustain and enhance the finest tradition of the United States Naval Service.