United States Marine James Anderson Jr earned the Medal of Honor for jumping on a Viet Cong grenade to save another Marine’s life. He was the first African-American to earn the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War. Honor and remember him!

From Los Angeles, California, Anderson was one of seven children, and he had hoped to become a preacher after the Corps. He is buried at Lincoln Memorial Park in Carson, California. The dining hall at 3rd Marines at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, was dedicated to Anderson’s memory in 1972.