ABSTRACT
Chief Boatswain’s Mate. He is believed to be the USN’s most highly decorated enlisted person. His decorations included the highest US military award, the Medal of Honor, as well as the Navy Cross, Silver Star medal, two Navy-Marine Corps Medals, Legion of Merit with Combat V, two Bronze Star medals with Combat V, Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V, two Purple Heart medals and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm. On 31 October 1966 during the Vietnam War, he was a First-Class Boatswain’s Mate, boat captain of a heavily armed PBR riverine patrol boat and patrol leader. The twoboat patrol he was leading intercepted a North Vietnamese battalion attempting to cross the Mekong River. Although outnumbered and under constant and heavy fire from enemy boats and the shore, his boats were credited with damaging or destroying more than sixty enemy craft and inflicting exceptionally heavy casualties on the enemy during a three-hour battle. For his heroism during that action, during which he was wounded, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Although it was customary for Medal of Honor recipients to be taken out of combat, he chose to remain with his unit in the Mekong Delta. Williams was representative of the lesser known US riverine forces that suffered 33 per cent casualties in combat during the Vietnam War.
