Willy F. James, Jr.

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Willy F. James, Jr. (March 18, 1920 - April 8, 1945) was a United States Army private first class who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during World War II. He was one of seven African-American soldiers who were belatedly awarded the Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton on January 13, 1997. Willy James was born on March 18, 1920 in Kansas City, Missouri. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on September 11, 1942. He was an infantry scount assigned to Company G, 413th Infantry Regiment, 104th Infantry Division in April 1945. On April 7, 1945, he was lead scout during a maneuver to secure a bridgehead near Lippoldsberg, German. As his regiment crossed the Weser River, he was pinned down for more than an hour by enemy machine gun fire.