William Thomas Perkins Jr.

Three Marines survived because one young combat photographer made the ultimate sacrifice.

Corporal William Thomas Perkins Jr. was only 20 years old when his extraordinary courage during the Vietnam War earned him the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration for valor.

Born in Rochester, New York, on 10 August 1947, Perkins grew up in California and entered active Marine Corps service on 6 July 1966. Trained as a photographer, he developed a skill that would take him from military training facilities in the United States to the front lines of Vietnam.

In July 1967, Perkins was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, and deployed to South Vietnam. His responsibilities included documenting military operations under dangerous combat conditions.

On 12 October 1967, he was serving as a combat photographer attached to Company C, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, during Operation Medina in Quang Tri Province. The Marines encountered fierce resistance from a larger North Vietnamese Army force near a helicopter landing zone used as their command post.

During the battle, an enemy grenade landed near Perkins and three other Marines.

Perkins immediately shouted a warning. With no time to escape, he deliberately threw himself onto the grenade, shielding his comrades from the explosion. He died saving their lives.

His selfless action earned a posthumous Medal of Honor, presented to his family by President Richard Nixon on 20 June 1969. His sacrifice also stands behind his Purple Heart and documented Vietnam campaign service.

Perkins left behind more than a military record. His surviving photographs and personal belongings preserve a view of the war through the eyes of a young Marine who believed his work mattered. His camera recorded the service of his fellow Marines, while his final act became an enduring example of courage and devotion to others.

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a combat photographer attached to Company C. During Operation Medina, a major reconnaissance-in-force southwest of Quang Tri, Company C made heavy combat contact with a numerically superior North Vietnamese Army force estimated at from two to three companies. The focal point of the intense fighting was a helicopter landing zone which was also serving as the Command Post of Company C. In the course of a strong hostile attack, an enemy grenade landed in the immediate area occupied by Cpl. Perkins and three other marines. Realizing the inherent danger, he shouted the warning, "Incoming Grenade" to his fellow marines, and in a valiant act of heroism, hurled himself upon the grenade absorbing the impact of the explosion with his body, thereby saving the lives of his comrades at the cost of his life. Through his exceptional courage and inspiring valor in the face of certain death, Cpl. Perkins reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.