Marvin Glenn Shields: A Legacy of Courage in Vietnam

Marvin Glenn Shields served with U.S. Navy Seabee Team 1104. On the night of June 9, 1965, the unfinished Army Special Forces camp at Dong Xoai came under heavy mortar fire and an attack from over 2,000 Viet Cong of the 272nd Regiment, which captured the Special Forces compound by morning. Shields, initially wounded by mortar fire, fought alongside Special Forces soldiers, repeatedly bringing critical ammunition to the front lines. On June 10, after sustaining further injuries—including shrapnel wounds and a gunshot to the jaw—Shields helped move the badly wounded camp commander to safety.

Hours later, Shields volunteered to assist Second Lieutenant Charles Q. Williams, now acting commander, in destroying a threatening Viet Cong machine gun just outside the perimeter, which posed a deadly risk to the district headquarters building under Williams’ command. Shielding the building's occupants, Williams used a 3.5-inch rocket launcher, which Shields loaded, successfully taking out the enemy gun. Both men were wounded during their return—Williams for the fourth time and Shields, severely, in both legs.

Evacuated with other Seabees to Saigon, Shields died from his wounds en route. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor at the White House on September 13, 1966.