James A. Gardner
Encyclopedia
James Alton Gardner was a United States Army
officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor
—for his actions in the Vietnam War
.
, the son of mother Johnnye Patterson. He attended Holice Powell School before graduating from Dyersburg High School.
Gardner joined the Army from Memphis, Tennessee
in 1964, and was stationed with the 101st Airborne Division
at Fort Campbell
, Kentucky
. He married Joella McManus in June 1965, a month before being sent to Vietnam
.
Later that year, after arriving in Vietnam, he helped to form and train Tiger Force
, a task force of the division's 1st Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, which specialized in the use of guerrilla tactics. On February 7, 1966, Gardner, then a first lieutenant in his brigade's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, led a platoon
in the relief of a company that was pinned down by a strongly entrenched and numerically superior enemy force at the village of My Canh. During the assault on the enemy positions, he single-handedly attacked four bunker
s. He was mortally wounded while approaching a fifth bunker, but managed to destroy it before succumbing to his injuries. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He was killed on his 23rd birthday, one month before his tour in Vietnam was to end.
He was buried on February 15, 1966, at Fairview Cemetery in his hometown of Dyersburg. In addition to the Medal of Honor, Gardner also received the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart
.
During a ceremony at the Pentagon
on October 19, 1967, Gardner's widow was formally presented with his Medal of Honor by Secretary of the Army
Stanley Rogers Resor
. The medal passed between Gardner's widow, mother, and sister until 2009, when it was donated to the 101st Airborne Division. On August 14, 2009, his sister, Lynda Gardner-Park, gave the Medal of Honor to his former unit to be displayed in the division's headquarters at Fort Campbell.
The Army National Guard
armory in Dyersburg is named in Gardner's honor.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
—for his actions in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Biography
Gardner was born and raised in Dyersburg, TennesseeDyersburg, Tennessee
Dyersburg is a city in and the county seat of Dyer County, Tennessee, United States, north-northeast of Memphis on the Forked Deer River. The population was 17,145 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Dyersburg is located at...
, the son of mother Johnnye Patterson. He attended Holice Powell School before graduating from Dyersburg High School.
Gardner joined the Army from Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
in 1964, and was stationed with the 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
at Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. He married Joella McManus in June 1965, a month before being sent to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
Later that year, after arriving in Vietnam, he helped to form and train Tiger Force
Tiger Force
Tiger Force was a task force of the United States Army, 1st Battalion , 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade , 101st Airborne Division, which fought in the Vietnam War....
, a task force of the division's 1st Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, which specialized in the use of guerrilla tactics. On February 7, 1966, Gardner, then a first lieutenant in his brigade's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, led a platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
in the relief of a company that was pinned down by a strongly entrenched and numerically superior enemy force at the village of My Canh. During the assault on the enemy positions, he single-handedly attacked four bunker
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
s. He was mortally wounded while approaching a fifth bunker, but managed to destroy it before succumbing to his injuries. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He was killed on his 23rd birthday, one month before his tour in Vietnam was to end.
He was buried on February 15, 1966, at Fairview Cemetery in his hometown of Dyersburg. In addition to the Medal of Honor, Gardner also received the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Vietnam Gallantry Cross
The Vietnam Gallantry Cross was a military decoration of South Vietnam which wasestablished in August 1950. Also known as the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the Gallantry Cross was awarded to any military personnel who have accomplished deeds of valor or displayed heroic conduct while fighting an...
, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
.
During a ceremony at the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
on October 19, 1967, Gardner's widow was formally presented with his Medal of Honor by Secretary of the Army
United States Secretary of the Army
The Secretary of the Army is a civilian official within the Department of Defense of the United States of America with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and...
Stanley Rogers Resor
Stanley Rogers Resor
Stanley Rogers Resor is a former lawyer, U.S. military officer, and government official.Born in New York City, he was the son of Stanley B. Resor , president of the J. W. Thompson advertising agency and one of the originators of the modern advertising industry...
. The medal passed between Gardner's widow, mother, and sister until 2009, when it was donated to the 101st Airborne Division. On August 14, 2009, his sister, Lynda Gardner-Park, gave the Medal of Honor to his former unit to be displayed in the division's headquarters at Fort Campbell.
The Army National Guard
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
armory in Dyersburg is named in Gardner's honor.
Medal of Honor citation
First Lieutenant Gardner's official Medal of Honor citation reads:For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Lt. Gardner's platoon was advancing to relieve a company of the 1st Battalion that had been pinned down for several hours by a numerically superior enemy force in the village of My Canh, Vietnam. The enemy occupied a series of strongly fortified bunker positions which were mutually supporting and expertly concealed. Approaches to the position were well covered by an integrated pattern of fire including automatic weapons, machine gunMachine gunA machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s and mortarsMortar (weapon)A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
. Air strikes and artilleryArtilleryOriginally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
placed on the fortifications had little effect. 1st Lt. Gardner's platoon was to relieve the friendly company by encircling and destroying the enemy force. Even as it moved to begin the attack, the platoon was under heavy enemy fire. During the attack, the enemy fire intensified. Leading the assault and disregarding his own safety, 1st Lt. Gardner charged through a withering hail of fire across an open rice paddyPaddy fieldA paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Paddies can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such...
. On reaching the first bunker he destroyed it with a grenadeGrenadeA grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
and without hesitation dashed to the second bunker and eliminated it by tossing a grenade inside. Then, crawling swiftly along the dike of a rice paddy, he reached the third bunker. Before he could arm a grenade, the enemy gunner leaped forth, firing at him. 1st Lt. Gardner instantly returned the fire and killed the enemy gunner at a distance of 6 feet. Following the seizure of the main enemy position, he reorganized the platoon to continue the attack. Advancing to the new assault position, the platoon was pinned down by an enemy machine gun emplaced in a fortified bunker. 1st Lt. Gardner immediately collected several grenades and charged the enemy position, firing his rifle as he advanced to neutralize the defenders. He dropped a grenade into the bunker and vaulted beyond. As the bunker blew up, he came under fire again. Rolling into a ditch to gain cover, he moved toward the new source of fire. Nearing the position, he leaped from the ditch and advanced with a grenade in one hand and firing his rifle with the other. He was gravely wounded just before he reached the bunker, but with a last valiant effort he staggered forward and destroyed the bunker, and its defenders with a grenade. Although he fell dead on the rim of the bunker, his extraordinary actions so inspired the men of his platoon that they resumed the attack and completely routed the enemy. 1st Lt. Gardner's conspicuous gallantry were in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War