Ken Harbaugh tells the stories of service members who have distinguished themselves through an act of valor. These stories feature recipients from the Civil War to present day, including a few who were originally overlooked for the medal.
Chief Boatswain’s Mate James Williams served as a patrol boat commander in the Vietnam War, intercepting enemy boats on the Mekong River. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for fighting through an ambush against over 50 armed enemy boats.
Welcome to the Medal of Honor podcast, brought to you in partnership with the National Medal of Honor Museum. I’m Ken Harbaugh. In each episode, we’ll learn about a different service member who has distinguished him or herself through an act of valor.
Chief Boatswain’s Mate James Elliot “Willie” Williams was born on June 13th, 1930 in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
In August 1947, Williams enlisted in the U.S. Navy and became a boatswain’s mate. He spent two years on the USS Douglas H. Fox, a destroyer that used small boats for raids into North Korea, and three years on the USS Little Rock, a light cruiser.
In April 1966, Williams was given command of River Patrol Boat 105 (PBR-105) in Vietnam. The Mekong River spans nearly the entirety of Vietnam, and was a key supply route for the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong in the south of Vietnam. Williams’s squadron was tasked with intercepting these supplies and keeping the river free of enemy activity.
On October 31st, 1966, Williams’s boat and another PBR were searching for Viet Cong in the Mekong River when they took contact from two sampans, small wooden fishing boats commonly used in the region. The PBRs killed one sampan’s crew as the other escaped, then followed in pursuit. The remaining sampan led them straight into an ambush. Williams found his sailors facing 10 enemy vessels and fortified positions along the river bank. Despite the heavy volume of enemy machine gun fire, Williams emerged from cover to direct his PBR’s fire on enemy positions and boats, then called for close air support from helicopters. While waiting for air support, Williams continued to maneuver PBR-105 and direct fire, encountering an even larger concentration of Viet Cong sampans. As night fell, he turned on his boat’s searchlights to locate the enemy positions ashore and destroy them. The battle was over after Williams’s PBR forced the enemy ashore to flee, having destroyed 65 boats over a 3 hour battle.
In January 1967, Williams would lead three PBRs in a similar battle against 400 enemy fighters and receive the Navy Cross for his actions. Later that year he retired from the Navy.
On May 14th, 1968, Williams was awarded the Medal of Honor at the Pentagon. His other awards include the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit with Combat “V” device, and three Purple Hearts.
A year after retiring, Williams became a U.S. Marshal. He passed away on October 13th, 1999. To this day, he is one of the most decorated sailors in the U.S. Navy’s history.
The Medal of Honor Podcast is a production of Evergreen Podcasts.
Nathan Corson is our producer and engineer, León Pescador is our script writer, Declan Rohrs is our script editor and recording engineer, and I’m Ken Harbaugh.
We are proud to support the National Medal of Honor Museum. To learn more, and to support their mission, got to mohmuseum.org. Thanks for listening.
