Ross Lindsey Iams
Major, U.S. Marine Corps
Medal of Honor Recipient
Haiti

Ross Lindsey Iams was born on 5 April 1879 at Graysville, PA. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on 29 January 1901, in Pittsburgh, PA, and was serving in Haiti as a Sergeant when he took part in the heroic action that earned him the Medal of Honor on 17 November 1915.

Medal of Honor

Ross Lindsey Iams was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions while a Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Citation:

In company with members of the Fifth, Thirteenth, Twenty-Third Companies and Marine and sailor detachment from the USS Connecticut, Sergeant Iams participated in the attack on Fort Riviere, Haiti, on 17 November 1915. Following a concentrated drive, several different detachments of Marines gradually closed in on the old French bastion fort in an effort to cut off all avenues of retreat for the Caco bandits. Approaching a breach in the wall which was the only entrance to the fort, Sergeant Iams unhesitatingly jumped through the breach despite constant fire from the Cacos and engaged the enemy in a desperate hand-to-hand combat until the bastion was captured and Caco resistance neutralized.

Later, after various temporary appointments as Marine Gunner, First and Second Lieutenant, and Captain, he was permanently commissioned a Captain on 4 June 1920.

His foreign service included eleven months in France in 1918-19, as well as assignments in Haiti, Mexico, China, the Philippines and Nicaragua.

Iams was transferred to the retired list in November 1932. He returned to active duty as a Major on 19 January 1942, and performed active duty for a brief period during World War II.

Medals and Awards

Medal of Honor
Philippine Campaign Medal
Nicaraguan Campaign Medal
Mexican Campaign Medal
Haitian Campaign Medal
Dominican Campaign Medal
World War I Victory Medal
Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal
Expeditionary Medal with Bronze star for Service in Haiti and China
World War II Victory Medal

Death and Burial

Major Ross Lindsey Iams died on 25 March 1952. He is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, CA, and his grave is located in Section P, Grave 2930.