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Vietnam War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Boatswain's Mate First Class James Elliot Williams, US Navy
During the Korean War , Petty Officer Williams served aboard USS DOUGLAS H FOX (DD-779) and conducted not only shore bombardment, but also was assigned as a Boat Coxswain to shuttle U.S. and South Korean Raiders from a base off Hungnam, North Korea.
James Elliot Williams passed away on October 13, 1999. Williams was a Navy Medal of Honor recipient for service as boat captain of PBR 105 based with Riv Sec 531 at My Tho. Williams was a true hero of the Brown Water Navy and the highest decorated sailor of the Vietnam War . There are some who say he may have been the highest decorated sailor to have ever served. Theodore Roosevelt said, "there is room here for only hundred percent Americanism." James Elliot Williams was one hundred percent Americanism. Boats will be missed by all who knew him, he was a good man. Cards and letters may be sent to the PBR-FVA, 732 American Inn Rd., Villa Ridge, MO 63089. Your cards and letters will be forwarded to the family.
December 7, 2004 Ship's name to honor S.C. war hero
Navy's most decorated enlisted man has new destroyer named after him
BY TERRY JOYCE
Of The Post and Courier Staff
More than 35 years have elapsed since the late James Elliott Williams, a boatswain's mate commanding patrol boats along the Mekong River in Vietnam, earned the medals that would make him the most decorated enlisted man in U.S. Navy history.
The former petty officer 1st class and Murrells Inlet resident earned three Purple Hearts, three Bronze Stars, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, two Silver Stars, the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor -- the nation's highest award for valor.
 Williams' heroism will be honored this week as the Navy prepares to commission its newest destroyer, the USS James E. Williams, in North Charleston on Saturday. The Navy's 45th Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer arrives today at the Charleston Naval Weapons Station.
The commissioning will be the first in the Lowcountry in nearly 10 years.
Williams' most legendary exploit came on Oct. 31, 1966, when he and eight other sailors in two river patrol boats killed more than 1,000 North Vietnamese soldiers in a three-hour firefight that also sank or destroyed more than 65 enemy boats. It was action he saw that day that led to the Medal of Honor.
But the award of the medal took time, and Williams wasn't finished with his combat tour. In January 1967, just four months before his retirement from the Navy, his patrol boat and another were attacked by 400 soldiers from three Viet Cong heavy weapons companies along a branch of the Mekong River. Williams was wounded protecting the other boat after it was disabled, but he continued to fight. Nearly 40 Viet Cong were killed or wounded and nine of their boats were destroyed.
The action won him the Navy Cross, according to the service.
Members of the Williams family, including Williams' widow, Elaine, boarded the warship named after him in Mayport, Fla., for the voyage to the Palmetto state. Upon its arrival in the Lowcountry today, the ship will be welcomed with a gun salute from James Island. The week of activities begin with a memorial service Wednesday at Williams' gravesite at the Florence National Cemetery and concludes with the commissioning at 11 a.m. Saturday at Wharf A at the Naval Weapons Station.
Williams was born in York County, grew up in Darlington and returned to South Carolina after he retired from the Navy.
He was appointed U.S. marshal for the District of South Carolina in 1969 and served in a variety of positions with the U.S. Marshal Service before retiring again.
Largely through his efforts, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society moved its headquarters from the aircraft carrier Intrepid, in New York, to the aircraft carrier Yorktown at Patriots Point several years ago. He lived in Murrells Inlet for years before moving to Palm Coast, Fla., where he lived until his death. Williams repeatedly turned down Hollywood offers to turn his exploits into a movie.
"Hell, if you're not going to tell the truth about that battle, then it ain't worth telling," he told The Post and Courier in 1990.
Elaine Williams said she asked Floyd Spence, the late 2nd District congressman, to have a ship named for her husband following his death in 1999.
"He would have been surprised if he knew they were going to name a ship after him, but he would have felt very honored, too," Williams said. "I just thought he deserved it."
Were he alive today, Williams would likely be impressed with the ship that bears his name.
The vessel is an Aegis guided-missile warship, which means it can fight enemy submarines, surface forces or aircraft all at one time. Its weaponry includes Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-aircraft missiles, six Mark 46 torpedoes, a 5-inch/54-caliber deck gun and two Phalanx gun systems that can fire 4,500 rounds per minute.
As impressive as the ship is, the Williams family will always remember the man who gave it his name.
"I knew (the Medal of Honor) was something special," said his daughter, Gail Williams Patterson, "but I just thought 'that's daddy' when I first heard about it.
"He was always on a pedestal to me. Now I can say 'that's daddy and a little bit more.' "
Terry Joyce covers the military. Contact him at
CITATION:
Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate First Class (PO1c.), U.S. Navy, River Section 531, My Tho, RVN, Place and date: Mekong River, Republic of Vietnam, 31 October 1966. Entered service at: Columbia, S.C. Born: 13 June 1930, Rock Hill, S.C. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. PO1c. Williams was serving as Boat Captain and Patrol Officer aboard River Patrol Boat (PBR) 105 accompanied by another patrol boat when the patrol was suddenly taken under fire by 2 enemy sampans. PO1c. Williams immediately ordered the fire returned, killing the crew of 1 enemy boat and causing the other sampan to take refuge in a nearby river inlet. Pursuing the fleeing sampan, the U.S. patrol encountered a heavy volume of small-arms fire from enemy forces, at close range, occupying well-concealed positions along the river bank. Maneuvering through this fire, the patrol confronted a numerically superior enemy force aboard 2 enemy junks and 8 sampans augmented by heavy automatic weapons fire from ashore. In the savage battle that ensued, PO1c. Williams, with utter disregard for his safety exposed himself to the withering hail of enemy fire to direct counter-fire and inspire the actions of his patrol. Recognizing the overwhelming strength of the enemy force, PO1c. Williams deployed his patrol to await the arrival of armed helicopters. In the course of his movement his discovered an even larger concentration of enemy boats. Not waiting for the arrival of the armed helicopters, he displayed great initiative and boldly led the patrol through the intense enemy fire and damaged or destroyed 50 enemy sampans and 7 junks. This phase of the action completed, and with the arrival of the armed helicopters, PO1c. Williams directed the attack on the remaining enemy force. Now virtually dark, and although PO1c. Williams was aware that his boats would become even better targets, he ordered the patrol boats' search lights turned on to better illuminate the area and moved the patrol perilously close to shore to press the attack. Despite a waning supply of ammunition the patrol successfully engaged the enemy ashore and completed the rout of the enemy force. Under the leadership of PO 1 c. Williams, who demonstrated unusual professional skill and indomitable courage throughout the 3 hour battle, the patrol accounted for the destruction or loss of 65 enemy boats and inflicted numerous casualties on the enemy personnel. His extraordinary heroism and exemplary fighting spirit in the face of grave risks inspired the efforts of his men to defeat a larger enemy force, and are in keeping with the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
PBR 105
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