On August 21st, 1968, Marine Private First Class James Anderson Jr became the first African-American Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his sacrifice during the Vietnam War. In honor of PFC Anderson, and to celebrate Black History Month, we looking back at the life-saving sacrifice he made on February 28th, 1967.
Transcript
This Marine made history when his heroic actions earned him the military’s most prestigious honor, but who was he? To answer that question, we’re looking back. Private First Class James Anderson, Jr., was born in Los Angeles, California on January 22nd, 1947. After high school, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corp in February of 1966. After completing his training, he shipped out to Vietnam during Operation Prairie II in December of the same year. But on February 28th, 1967, PFC Anderson’s platoon was ambushed by North Vietnamese forces. As a final act of bravery, PFC Anderson used his own body as a shield when he dove on a grenade. On August 21st, 1968, PFC Anderson became the first African American Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Although his time in service was short, his legacy lives on, and the selfless sacrifice he made earned him a spot among the many other heroes on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.