James Allen Taylor
Born December 31, 1937 (1937-12-31) (age 70)
Major James Allen Taylor
Place of birth	Arcata, California
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Major
Unit	1st Cavalry Regiment, Americal Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Medal of Honor

James Allen Taylor (born December 31, 1937) is a retired United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Arcata is a small city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Please see " Major " for other countries that use this rank In the United States, Major is a Military rank denotes The 1st Cavalry Regiment is a unit in the United States Army which has its antecedents in the early 19th Century in the formation of the United States Regiment of Dragoons The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia

Biography

Taylor joined the Army from San Francisco, California, and by November 9, 1967 was serving as a first lieutenant in Troop B of the 1st Cavalry Regiment, Americal Division. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. First Lieutenant is a Military rank. The rank of Lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations (see Comparative military ranks The 1st Cavalry Regiment is a unit in the United States Army which has its antecedents in the early 19th Century in the formation of the United States Regiment of Dragoons During a battle on that day, west of Que Son in the Republic of Vietnam, Taylor repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to rescue crewmen from damaged assault vehicles. Que Son Valley is a valley in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. During the Vietnam War it was the site of heavy fighting including Operation Union "RVN" redirects here RVN is also the former callsign of a TV station in Wagga Wagga New South Wales Australia He was subsequently promoted to captain and awarded the Medal of Honor.

Taylor reached the rank of major before retiring from the Army. Please see " Major " for other countries that use this rank In the United States, Major is a Military rank denotes

Medal of Honor citation

Captain Taylor's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Capt. Taylor, Armor, was serving as executive officer of Troop B, 1st Squadron. Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of Armoured fighting vehicles in Modern warfare. His troop was engaged in an attack on a fortified position west of Que Son when it came under intense enemy recoilless rifle, mortar, and automatic weapons fire from an enemy strong point located immediately to its front. A recoilless gun or recoilless rifle (RCL is a lightweight form of Weapon that allows the firing of a heavier projectile than would be practical with a recoiling A mortar is a muzzle-loading Indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities short ranges and high-arcing ballistic trajectories An automatic firearm is a Firearm that automatically extracts and ejects the fired cartridge case and loads a new case usually through the energy of the fired One armored cavalry assault vehicle was hit immediately by recoilless rifle fire and all 5 crewmembers were wounded. Aware that the stricken vehicle was in grave danger of exploding, Capt. Taylor rushed forward and personally extracted the wounded to safety despite the hail of enemy fire and exploding ammunition. Within minutes a second armored cavalry assault vehicle was hit by multiple recoilless rifle rounds. Despite the continuing intense enemy fire, Capt. Taylor moved forward on foot to rescue the wounded men from the burning vehicle and personally removed all the crewmen to the safety of a nearby dike. Moments later the vehicle exploded. As he was returning to his vehicle, a bursting mortar round painfully wounded Capt. Taylor, yet he valiantly returned to his vehicle to relocate the medical evacuation landing zone to an area closer to the front lines. As he was moving his vehicle, it came under machinegun fire from an enemy position not 50 yards away. Capt. Taylor engaged the position with his machinegun, killing the 3-man crew. Upon arrival at the new evacuation site, still another vehicle was struck. Once again Capt. Taylor rushed forward and pulled the wounded from the vehicle, loaded them aboard his vehicle, and returned them safely to the evacuation site. His actions of unsurpassed valor were a source of inspiration to his entire troop, contributed significantly to the success of the overall assault on the enemy position, and were directly responsible for saving the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military profession and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U. S. Army.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients: Vietnam War

References

• Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipients. The Medal of Honor is the highest military award in the US military. This is a complete list of those people who received the Medal of Honor for their actions in the Vietnam War. Medal of Honor Citations. U. S. Army Center of Military History (October 3, 2003). Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-06-11. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes.