The Wall › Panel 27E › California › William Thomas Perkins JR
WILLIAM THOMAS PERKINS JR
Corporal · U.S. Marine Corps
August 10, 1947 – October 12, 1967
Medal of Honor StoryPortrait: U.S. armed forces, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
William Thomas Perkins JR, of Sepulveda, California, served as a Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. He died on October 12, 1967, in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, at age 20. His name is inscribed on Panel 27E, Line 97 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Medal of Honor · awarded posthumously
For conspicuous gallantry
William Thomas Perkins JR received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions on October 12, 1967. The official citation reads:
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
Corporal William T. Perkins 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 combat photographer attached to Company C, First Battalion, First Marines, First Marine Division, in the Republic of Vietnam on 12 October 1967. During Operation MEDINA, a major reconnaissance in force, southwest of Quang Tri, Company C made heavy combat contact with a numerically superior North Vietnamese Army Force estimated at from two to three companies. The focal point of the intense fighting was a helicopter landing zone which was also serving as the Command Post of Company C. In the course of a strong hostile attack, an enemy grenade landed in the immediate area occupied by Corporal Perkins and three other Marines. Realizing the inherent danger, he shouted the warning, "Incoming Grenade" to his fellow Marines, and in a valiant act of heroism, hurled himself upon the grenade absorbing the impact of the explosion with his own body thereby saving the lives of his comrades at the cost of his own. Through his exceptional courage and inspiring valor in the face of certain death, Corporal Perkins reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
/S/ RICHARD M. NIXON
^ "Cpl William T. Perkins Jr., Medal of Honor, 1967, 1/1/1, Vietnam". Medal of Honor citation. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 2007-02-22. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
Citation text as reproduced in Wikipedia’s article on William Thomas Perkins 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 27E · Line 97
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
- Corporal (CPL)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Photographer (4631)
- Born
- August 10, 1947
- Home of record
- Sepulveda, California (Los Angeles County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- October 12, 1967
- 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
29 names on the Wall carry the date October 12, 1967; 13 of them were lost in Quảng Trị Province. In October 1967, 906 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
He died in Quảng Trị Province while the siege of Con Thien was under way. Through September and October 1967, North Vietnamese artillery across the Demilitarized Zone pounded the Marine outpost at Con Thien and the bases along the DMZ in Quảng Trị Province. The casualty record gives the province and date, not the exact place, so it does not say whether he fell in the battle itself.
Also on Panel 27E, Line 97
- THOMAS G DERRICKSON IILieutenant Colonel · October 12, 1967
- JOSEPH LOUIS POKERJIMPrivate · October 12, 1967
- RICHARD VROMAN SMITHPetty Officer Third Class · October 12, 1967
- ROBERT MILTON WADEStaff Sergeant · October 12, 1967
From Sepulveda
- RICHARD L HATLESTADFirst Lieutenant · April 12, 1963
- JOHN ANDREW EWARTLance Corporal · March 23, 1967
- ROBERT THOMPSON JRPrivate First Class · April 8, 1967
- JAMES ALFRED MCMURDOLance Corporal · June 6, 1967
- FRANK JOSEPH COSTANTINI JRPrivate First Class · June 21, 1967
- JOHN ANTHONY BAFILESpecialist Five · February 20, 1968
- MICHAEL WILLIAM HOLZMANPrivate First Class · March 1, 1968
- MICHAEL GALE HUTSONLance Corporal · August 28, 1968
- TIMOTHY MICHAEL HARRINGTONSpecialist Four · February 5, 1969
- BENJAMIN BUGARINCaptain · April 27, 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.