WWII · Battle Death Record
Willy James Jr.
Private First Class, U.S. Army · Missouri
Medal of Honor
Personnel File — Core Information
- Name
- Willy James Jr.
- Entered the Service From
- Missouri
- Rank
- Private First Class
- Service
- U.S. Army
- Unit / Regiment
- 413th Infantry Regiment, 104th Infantry Division
- War
- WWII
- Date of Death
- April 8, 1945
- Awards
- Medal of Honor, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart
- Burial / Memorial
- Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Netherlands
- Grave
- Plot P, Row 9, Grave 9
Their story
On April 7, 1945, near Lippoldsberg, Germany, Pfc. James served as lead scout during a river crossing, voluntarily reconnoitering enemy positions while pinned down for over an hour before returning more than 300 yards under fire to report their locations and lead an assault on a fortified position. He was killed the following day while attempting to rescue his wounded platoon leader across open ground under machine-gun fire. His actions inspired his platoon to complete its mission, and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997.
Compiled from American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and National Archives (NARA) records and public sources.
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