Biography
Born on December 25, 1942, in West Columbia, West Virginia, Stewart joined the Army from Ashland, Kentucky. He served in Vietnam as a staff sergeant with Company B of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). On the morning of May 18, 1966, Company B was manning a defensive position when they were attacked by a reinforced North Vietnamese company, with the main thrust of the assault pitting Stewart's 6-man squad against a platoon-sized hostile force. Although his five squadmates fell wounded, Stewart ignored an opportunity to withdraw and instead held his position alone for four hours, tossing back enemy-thrown grenades and crawling through heavy fire to retrieve ammunition from the wounded. When a friendly platoon arrived and counterattacked the North Vietnamese, he moved forward and was killed while assisting their effort. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Stewart, aged 23 at his death, is buried in Middleport, Ohio. His name is listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial ("The Wall") on panel 07E - Row 084.
Read more about this topic: Jimmy G. Stewart
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