Memorial Day Marvin G. Shields Service

I have passed the sign for the Marvin G. Shields gravesite many times on my trips up and down Highway 101 but never stopped. Today I finally made the turn down Cemetery Road to pay my respects to the only Seabee to receive the Medal of Honor. (The Seabees are the Navy’s mobile construction force.) He is the only Medal of Honor recipient buried on the Olympic Peninsula

By plain dumb luck, I arrived just prior to the Memorial Day Service.

The small cemetery sported flags in honor of Memorial Day.

Born December 30, 1939, in Port Townsend, Washington, Marvin Glenn Shields joined the Navy on January 8, 1962 to be a Navy Seabee. He was killed at the Battle of Dong Xoai on June 10, 1965 and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on September 13, 1966:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with United States Navy Seabee Team 1104 at Dong Xoai, Republic of Vietnam, on 10 June 1965. Although wounded when the compound of Detachment A-342, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, came under intense fire from an estimated reinforced Viet Cong regiment employing machine gun, heavy weapons and small arms, Shields continued to resupply his fellow Americans with needed ammunition and to return the enemy fire for a period of approximately three hours, at which time the Viet Cong launched a massive attack at close range with flame throwers, hand grenades and small-arms fire. Wounded a second time during this attack, Shields nevertheless assisted in carrying a more critically wounded man to safety, and then resumed firing at the enemy for four more hours. When the Commander asked for a volunteer to accompany him in an attempt to knock out an enemy machine gun emplacement which was endangering the lives of all personnel in the compound because of the accuracy of its fire, Shields unhesitatingly volunteered for this extremely hazardous mission. Proceeding toward their objective with a 3.5- inch rocket launcher, they succeeded in destroying the enemy machine gun emplacement, thus undoubtedly saving the lives of many of their fellow servicemen in the compound. Shields was mortally wounded by hostile fire while returning to his defensive position. His heroic initiative and great personal valor in the face of intense enemy fire sustain and enhance the finest tradition of the United States Naval Service.

The start of the Memorial Day Service

I was honored to meet his widow, Joan Bennett. Warm and charming, she had me laughing when I asked if I could take her picture, and she said sure, as long it’s not one of her backside.