Who is First Sergeant Jimmie E. Howard USMC

On 13 June 1966, a flight of helos landed Howard and his 17 man team on hill 488. At 1500 feet elevation and 25 miles west of the Marine Base at Chu Lai the hill provided an outstanding vantage point to observe enemy troop movement. Other than one man fox holes left by the enemy which the S/Sgt also used for observation, there was little cover, no trees, just grass and scrub vegetation.

For two days, S/Sgt Howard's team reported on the movements of the NVA and called for several fire missions. While there was some concern about the team's exposed position, the decision was made to leave them in position another day.

The NVA and Viet Cong, knowing the teams position, were determined to wipe out the Marines. They began to move in for a suprise attack. Luckily, an Army Special Forces team saw the advancing enemy and radioed in their location. Having his radio tuned to the same com channel, S/Sgt Howard became aware they were being stalked. He briefed his team leaders then settled back to watch and wait.

At about 2200 hours L/Cpl R. Binns shot a well camouflaged infiltrator, from 12 feet away, and opened the ball. The platoon corpsman, Billie Don Holmes said, " They were within 20 feet of us. Suddenly there were grenades all over. Then people started hollering. It seemed everyone got hit at the same time."

The NVA had four heavy machine guns firing in support of the assault, light machine guns added their distictive rattle and tracer rounds streaked through Marine positions like deadly little green comets. 60-mm mortar shells screamed in, detonated, and hurled rock and hot metal shrapnel fragments through the area. Undaunted the Marines continued to concentrate a field of fire that sliced through the communist ranks. When their first attack failed, the communists began probing the Marine perimeter. And ...

Marines, listening for movement, tossed grenades. Confused jabbering followed by a blast told of the effectiveness of this tactic. Howard called in and requested an extraction. "You've gottta get us out of here. There are too many for my people." Then he called for air support. Flare ships, helos and fixed wing aircraft were sent and on their way from the air base at Nui Vu. But ...

Around midnight as the Marines were waiting for the air support to arrive, the communist forces rushed the Marine position a second time. The Marines threw their last grenades and fired weapons on semi-auto relying on Marine Corps accuracy to suppress the attack. And ...

This second frontal assault failed, but not entirely. By now every Marine on the hill was wounded or had been killed. And then, out of the dark, came a sound Marines in other battles had heard before ... "Marines! You die tonight!"

It wasn't a new experience. Enemies had tried the tactic before; the Germans in W.W.I, the Japanese in W.W. II and the Chinese and North Koreans during the Korean conflict. The ploy didn't work in those previous times and didn't work this time on these Marines either. The Marines shouted back their own comments and Howard took the opportunity to apply his own psyop tactic. He had all his Marines laugh at the Vietnamese.

Around 0100 hours air support was on station and as flares lit the darkness the men on the hill 488 were able to see the enemy which seemed to fill the valley. At altitudes as low as 20 feet the helo gun ships roared in delivering long deadly bursts of machine gun fire. The fixed wing jets dived to the attack, napalm bursts added to the strange light of the flares, punctuated by the thunder and flash of bombs dropped on the massed communist troops. Under Howard's guidance, the gun ships were directed on runs which strafed the enemy to within 25 meters of Marine positions.

Low on ammo, Howard ordered his men to shoot only at identified targets and only one shot at a time. The enemy hammered the Marines with automatic fire and threw grenades. The Marines returned deadly aimed fire and threw rocks, shooting at the shapes darting away from the noise believing the rocks to be grenades.

By 0300 hours an extraction was attempted, but was not successful due to the intense enemy fire. Howard was told he would have to hold until sunrise. Shortly after there was a blast and his voice on the radio, faultered. Howard was struck in the back by grenade fragments and severely wounded. All who were listening thought the brave Marine may have been killed. Then his voice came back on line, S/Sgt Howard was alive but had lost the use of his legs. Refusing morphine, because of his need to be alert, Howard pulled himself under fire to each position. Dragging his radio with him he directed fire and encouraged his Marines.

As night slowly gave way to dawn, each Marine fought his own battle and several died in their positions. At 05:25 Howard shouted to the embattled Marines, "Ok you people, reveille goes in 35 minutes." At exactly 0600 hours his voice floated out over the Marine positions, "Reveille, reveille!"

With air and artillery preparation of a landing zone, Charlie Company of the Fifth Marines (Infantry) dropped in and advanced towards Howard's position. By the time they reached the besieged Marine position, the recon Marines had eight rounds left.

Fighting continued hot and heavy as choppers maneuvered to evacuate the men from the top of the hill. From Chu Lai, the Battalion Commander called Charlie Co. asking 'Is the landing zone secure?" over the radio. "Well," a hesitation, "...not spectacularly" Back in the relative safety of the base, a junior NCO asked, "What does he mean by that?" Said an older, saltier veteran, "What the hell do you think it means, stupid? He's getting shot at!"

After hard, often hand to hand, combat and under continued air and artillery cover Charlie Co. began moving causalities to the LZ for evacuation. Marines never leave their dead or wounded on the field. By noon the communist survivors began to slip away and soon the hill was quiet.

Hours later, the relieving force found one Marine propped against a rock ... to his front, a dead NVA trooper. The muzzles of each soldier's weapon touching the chest of the other. Two Marine e-tools, (small folding shovels) were found near a group of mangled communist dead, covered in blood. Another Marine, bandaged head and chest, was found dead on the ground ... his hand still clutched the hilt of a knife buried in the back of the enemy soldier on top of him.

The Marines lost 10 dead, Charlie Co and the Huey squadron lost 2 each. Of the Reconnaissance Marines, six had been killed; the other 12 were wounded. The enemy left better than 30 of his men dead on the hill.

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Platoon Leader, Company C, First Reconnaissance Battalion, First Marine Division, in the Republic of Vietnam. Gunnery Sergeant Howard and his eighteen-man platoon were occupying an observation post deep within enemy controlled territory. Shortly after midnight on June 1966, a Viet Cong force of estimated battalion size approached the Marine's position and launched a vicious attack with small arms, automatic weapons and mortar fire. Reacting swiftly and fearlessly in the face of overwhelming odds, Gunnery Sergeant Howard skillfully organized his small but determined force into a tight perimeter defense and calmly moved from position to position to direct his men's fire. Throughout the night, during assault after assault, his courageous example and firm leadership inspired and motivated his men to withstand the unrelenting fury of the hostile fire in the seemingly hopeless situation. He constantly shouted encouragement to his men and exhibited imagination and resourcefulness in directing their return fire. When fragments of an exploding enemy grenade wounded him severely and prevented him from moving his legs, he distributed his ammunition to the remaining members of his platoon and proceeded to maintain radio communications and direct air strikes on the enemy with uncanny accuracy. At dawn, despite the fact that five men were killed and all but one wounded, his beleaguered platoon was still in command of its position. When evacuation helicopters approached his position, Gunnery Sergeant Howard warned them away and called for additional air strikes and directed devastating small arms fire and air strikes against enemy automatic weapons positions in order to make the landing zone as secure as possible. Through his extraordinary courage and resolute fighting spirit, Gunnery Sergeant Howard was largely responsible for preventing the loss of his entire platoon. His valiant leadership and courageous fighting spirit served to inspire the men of his platoon to heroic endeavor in the face of overwhelming odds, and reflect highest credit upon Gunnery Sergeant Howard, the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service"