Events on August 21 in history

James Anderson, Jr. (August 21, 1968)

James Anderson, Jr. posthumously receives the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American U.S. Marine.

Private First Class James Anderson Jr. (January 22, 1947 – February 28, 1967) was a United States Marine who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for heroism while serving in Vietnam in February 1967. When his Medal of Honor was awarded on August 21, 1968, he became the first African American U.S. Marine recipient of the Medal of Honor.Joining the U. S. Marine Corps in 1966, Anderson took part in Operation Prairie II. During this operation, Anderson's platoon was advancing through the jungle near Cam Lo Combat Base when they were ambushed by North Vietnamese forces. Anderson jumped on a grenade thrown by a Vietnamese soldier and was killed in action. This action saved other Marines' lives, and Anderson was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his deed.

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Events on 1968

30 Jan

Tet Offensive
Vietnam War: Tet Offensive launch by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army against South Vietnam, the United States, and their allies.
31 Jan

Tet Offensive
Vietnam War: Viet Cong guerrillas attack the United States embassy in Saigon, and other attacks, in the early morning hours, later grouped together as the Tet Offensive.
29 Apr

Counterculture of the 1960s
The controversial musical Hair, a product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, opens at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway, with some of its songs becoming anthems of the anti-Vietnam War movement.
14 Oct

U.S. Marine Corps
Vietnam War: The United States Department of Defense announces that the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps will send about 24,000 soldiers and Marines back to Vietnam for involuntary second tours of duty in the combat zone there.
20 Oct

Jacqueline Kennedy
Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy marries Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis.

Events on August 21 in history

James Anderson, Jr. (August 21, 1968)

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1968

Tet Offensive

Tet Offensive

Counterculture of the 1960s

U.S. Marine Corps

Jacqueline Kennedy