C001446

Round shaped, brass colored coin, 1 3/4 inches in diameter.

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Journal - Page 34 - Line 8

Marvin Glenn Shields (30 December 1939-10 June 1965) was the first and only Seabee to receive the Medal of Honor. He was also the first Navy Sailor to receive the Medal of Honor for action in Vietnam. He was born in Port Townsend, Washington and enlisted in the Navy on 8 January 1962. He had graduated from high school in 1958 and had moved to Hyder, Alaska, where he worked the gold mines. After construction training in the Navy, he served with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11, and was with Seabee Team 1104 at Dong Xoai, South Vietnam, on 10 June 1965 when a Vietcong regiment attacked. After being wounded, Shields continued to carry ammunition to the firing line, and after receiving a second wound, insisted on helping a more severely wounded soldier to safety. Refusing to consider himself and now greatly weakened, he again exposed himself to enemy fire, volunteering to help knock out a machine gun which had the entire camp pinned down. He died from wounds he received after he and others succeeded in destroying the enemy machine gun. He postumously received the Medal of Honor on 13 September 1966.