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First Name: Jimmy

Last Name: Stewart

Birthplace: West Columbia, WV, USA

Gender: Male

Branch: Army (1784 - present)



Home of Record: Ashland, KY
Middle Name: Goethel



Date of Birth: 25 December 1942

Date of Death: 18 May 1996

Rank: Staff Sergeant

Years Served: 1960 - 1966
Jimmy Goethel Stewart

   
Engagements:
•  Vietnam War (1960 - 1973)

Biography:

Jimmy Goethel Stewart
Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
Medal of Honor Recipient
Vietnam War

Staff Sergeant Jimmy Goethel Stewart (25 December 1942 - 18 May 1966) was a U.S. Army soldier who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic acts during the Vietnam War. He was killed in action while protecting his fallen comrades and preventing an enemy penetration of his company's perimeter.

Jimmy Goethel Stewart was born on 25 December 1942 at West Columbia, WV. He entered the service at Ashland, KY.

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 2d Battalion, 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).

Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 18 May 1966.

Entered service at: Ashland, KY. Born: 25 December 1942, West Columbia, WV.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Early in the morning a reinforced North Vietnamese company attacked Company B, which was manning a defensive perimeter in Vietnam. The surprise onslaught wounded 5 members of a 6-man squad caught in the direct path of the enemy's thrust. S/Sgt. Stewart became a lone defender of vital terrain--virtually 1 man against a hostile platoon. Refusing to take advantage of a lull in the firing which would have permitted him to withdraw, S/Sgt. Stewart elected to hold his ground to protect his fallen comrades and prevent an enemy penetration of the company perimeter. As the full force of the platoon-sized man attack struck his lone position, he fought like a man possessed; emptying magazine after magazine at the determined, on-charging enemy. The enemy drove almost to his position and hurled grenades, but S/Sgt. Stewart decimated them by retrieving and throwing the grenades back. Exhausting his ammunition, he crawled under intense fire to his wounded team members and collected ammunition that they were unable to use. Far past the normal point of exhaustion, he held his position for 4 harrowing hours and through 3 assaults, annihilating the enemy as they approached and before they could get a foothold. As a result of his defense, the company position held until the arrival of a reinforcing platoon which counterattacked the enemy, now occupying foxholes to the left of S/Sgt. Stewart's position. After the counterattack, his body was found in a shallow enemy hole where he had advanced in order to add his fire to that of the counterattacking platoon. Eight enemy dead were found around his immediate position, with evidence that 15 others had been dragged away. The wounded whom he gave his life to protect, were recovered and evacuated. S/Sgt. Stewart's indomitable courage, in the face of overwhelming odds, stands as a tribute to himself and an inspiration to all men of his unit. His actions were in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and the Armed Forces of his country.

Medals and Awards

Medal of Honor
Purple Heart

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The name Jimmy Goethel Stewart is inscribed on Panel 07E - Line 84.

Death and Burial

Staff Sergeant Jimmy Goethel Stewart was killed in action on 18 May 1966. He is buried at Riverview Cemetery in Middleport, Meigs County, OH.



Honoree ID: 1089   Created by: MHOH

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