The Wall › Panel 30W › Florida › Robert Henry Jenkins JR
ROBERT HENRY JENKINS JR
Private First Class · U.S. Marine Corps
June 1, 1948 – March 5, 1969
Medal of Honor StoryPortrait: Mplearc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Robert Henry Jenkins JR, of Interlachen, Florida, served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Marine Corps. He died on March 5, 1969, in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 30W, Line 46 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Medal of Honor · awarded posthumously
For conspicuous gallantry
Robert Henry Jenkins JR received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions on March 5, 1969. The official citation reads:
The President of the United States in the name of United States Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS ROBERT H. JENKINS JR.
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
for service as set forth in the following
CITATION:
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Marine Gunner with Company C, Third Reconnaissance Battalion, Third Marine Division in connection with operations against enemy forces in the Republic of Vietnam. Early on the morning of 5 March 1969, Private First Class Jenkins' twelve-man reconnaissance team was occupying a defensive position at Fire Support Base Argonne south of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. Suddenly, the Marines were assaulted by a North Vietnamese Army platoon employing mortar, automatic weapons, and hand grenades.
Reacting instantly, Private First Class Jenkins and another Marine quickly moved into a two-man fighting emplacement, and as they boldly delivered accurate machine gun fire against the enemy, a North Vietnamese soldier threw a hand grenade into the friendly emplacement.
Fully realizing the inevitable results of his action, Private First Class Jenkins quickly seized his comrade, and pushing the man to the ground, he leaped on top of the Marine to shield him from the explosion. Absorbing the full impact of the detonation, Private First Class Jenkins was seriously injured and subsequently succumbed to his wounds. His courage, inspiring valor and selfless devotion to duty saved a fellow Marine from serious injury or possible death and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Navy. He gallantly gave his life for his country."
/S/ Richard M. Nixon
Citation text as reproduced in Wikipedia’s article on Robert Henry Jenkins JR; Medal of Honor citations are official U.S. government records. See also the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and all Medal of Honor recipients on the Wall.
On the Wall
Panel 30W · Line 46
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
Remember
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Service
- Branch
- U.S. Marine Corps
- Rank
- Private First Class (PFC)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Rifleman (0311)
- Born
- June 1, 1948
- Home of record
- Interlachen, Florida (Putnam County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- March 5, 1969
- Age
- 20
- Province
- Quang Tri
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Explosive Device
Context · from the records
What was happening
50 names on the Wall carry the date March 5, 1969; nine of them were lost in Quảng Trị Province. In March 1969, 1,553 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
He died in Quảng Trị Province while Operation Dewey Canyon was under way. In Operation Dewey Canyon (22 January–18 March 1969) the 9th Marines struck North Vietnamese base areas in the Đa Krông and A Shau valleys, the last major Marine offensive of the war. The casualty record gives the province and date, not the exact place, so it does not say whether he fell in the battle itself.
Read the history
On the Wall
Also on Panel 30W, Line 46
- CARLTON JERRY JOHNSONSergeant · March 5, 1969
- SANDERFIERD ALLEN JONESSpecialist Four · March 5, 1969
- LARRY GENE LACAEYSEPrivate First Class · March 5, 1969
- ALFRED LALLAVESpecialist Four · March 5, 1969
From Interlachen
- HERBERT RANDOLPH RAGANSSergeant · September 12, 1969
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. The Medal of Honor citation above is the official account of his actions. See something wrong? Report a correction.