Private First Class James Anderson Jr.

Today, on Memorial Day, I want to take a moment to honor someone whose courage still leaves me in awe—Private First Class James Anderson Jr. In 1967, he was in Vietnam with the U.S. Marine Corps, part of a patrol moving through the dense jungle during Operation Prairie II near Quang Tri. His unit was ambushed, and in the middle of the chaos, a grenade landed near his fellow Marines. Without hesitation, Anderson pulled it to his chest and threw himself on it, sacrificing his own life to save those around him. He was just 20 years old. We don’t say “thank you” lightly. We remember. We honor. And we speak their names. Rest in peace, PFC James Anderson Jr.