Medal of Honor
1945-04-07
Weser River Valley in the vicinity of Lippoldsberg, Germany
- Rank at action
- Private First Class
- Service
- U.S. Army
- Conflict
- World War II
- Unit or command
- Company G, 413th Infantry
The Citation
Sources ↓For extraordinary heroism in action on 7 April 1945 near Lippoldsberg, Germany. As lead scout during a maneuver to secure and expand a vital bridgehead, Private First Class James was the first to draw enemy fire. He was pinned down for over an hour, during which time he observed enemy positions in detail. Returning to his platoon, he assisted in working out a new plan of maneuver. He then led a squad in the assault, accurately designating targets as he advanced, until he was killed by enemy machine gun fire while going to the aid of his fatally wounded platoon leader. Private First Class James' fearless, self-assigned actions, coupled with his diligent devotion to duty exemplified the finest traditions of the Armed Forces.
Sources & record notes
General Order comparison: pending. Current-profile review does not mean that the underlying original order has been examined.
- Willy F James Jr. — Congressional Medal of Honor Society recipient profile ↗Congressional Medal of Honor Society · Checked 2026-09-01
current identity, service, action metadata, and citation comparison
Transcription, metadata & provenance notes
- Award ID
- MOH-AW-002917
- Transcription status
- Legacy full text · current reference profile matched
- Last source check
- 2026-09-01
- Archive transcription SHA-256
- 37158061a7dcd737c0b65b3ec7e379909573f67ec3da603f18a9b79dcd6e6f76
Legacy transcription retained without substantive editing; rendered current reference profile comparison is documented in the Phase 10 evidence snapshot.
Current official reference profile confirms identity and core action metadata; exact legacy citation text and checksum are retained; General Order comparison remains pending.