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RUSSELL ALBERT STEINDAM
First Lieutenant · U.S. Army
August 27, 1946 – February 1, 1970
Medal of Honor StoryPortrait: U.S. armed forces, via Wikimedia Commons.
Russell Albert Steindam, of Plano, Texas, served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He died on February 1, 1970, in Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam, at age 23. His name is inscribed on Panel 14W, Line 88 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Medal of Honor · awarded posthumously
For conspicuous gallantry
Russell Albert Steindam received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions on February 1, 1970. The official citation reads:
First Lieutenant Steindam'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. Steindam, Troop B, while serving as a platoon leader, led members of his platoon on a night ambush operation. On the way to the ambush site, suspected enemy movement was detected on 1 flank and the platoon's temporary position was subjected to intense small arms and automatic weapons fire as well as a fusillade of hand and rocket-propelled grenades. After the initial barrage, 1st Lt. Steindam ordered fire placed on the enemy position and the wounded men to be moved to a shallow bomb crater. As he directed the return fire against the enemy from his exposed position, a fragmentation grenade was thrown into the site occupied by his command group. Instantly realizing the extreme gravity of the situation, 1st Lt. Steindam shouted a warning to alert his fellow soldiers in the immediate vicinity. Then, unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his safety, 1st Lt. Steindam deliberately threw himself on the grenade, absorbing the full and fatal force of the explosion as it detonated. By his gallant action and self-sacrifice, he was able to save the lives of the nearby members of his command group. The extraordinary courage and selflessness displayed by 1st Lt. Steindam were an inspiration to his comrades and are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.
^ "Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. October 3, 2003. Archived from the original on April 24, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
Citation text as reproduced in Wikipedia’s article on Russell Albert Steindam; 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 14W · Line 88
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. Army
- Rank
- First Lieutenant (1LT)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Armored Reconnaissance Unit Commander (1204)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 25 INF DIV
- Born
- August 27, 1946
- Home of record
- Plano, Texas (Collin County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- February 1, 1970
- Age
- 23
- Province
- Tay Ninh
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Explosive Device
Context · from the records
What was happening
21 names on the Wall carry the date February 1, 1970; two of them were lost in Tây Ninh Province. In February 1970, 569 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 25th Infantry Division, his unit in the record, lost 36 of its members that month.
Read the history
Also on Panel 14W, Line 88
- JAMES BRENT BROWNSpecialist Four · February 1, 1970
- JAMES CONRAD CARMANPrivate First Class · February 1, 1970
- CHESTER CALVIN CARRICO JRPrivate First Class · February 1, 1970
- EDWARD LEE CRAIGSpecialist Four · February 1, 1970
Same unit, same day
- JOSE ANGEL SANTA CRUZPrivate First Class · Panel 14W, Line 91
From Plano
- ROBERT RAY BROWNCorporal · October 1, 1967
- LANNY EARL HALESpecialist Four · February 8, 1968
- JOE STEPHEN HUSTONSergeant · March 19, 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.