Marvin Glenn Shields
Marvin Glenn Shields (December 30, 1939 – June 10, 1965) was the first and only United States Navy Seabee to receive the Medal of Honor, and the first sailor to earn the Medal of Honor for actions in the Vietnam War.
He was born in Port Townsend, Washington, and grew up near Discovery Bay in Gardiner. After graduating from Port Townsend High School in 1958, he worked in Alaska before enlisting in the Navy on January 8, 1962 to become a Seabee.
Shields trained in Georgia and California and served with Alfa Company, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11, later joining Seabee Team 1104. The team deployed to Vietnam in early 1965, arriving in Saigon in February to help build and repair camps.
During the Battle of Dong Xoai on June 9–10, 1965, Shields was wounded multiple times but continued to fight. He carried ammunition to the front lines, helped move a wounded Special Forces captain, and assisted in destroying an enemy machine gun with Lt. Charles Williams. While being evacuated, Shields died on June 10, 1965.
He was buried in Gardiner Cemetery, Gardiner, Washington, on June 19, 1965. Shields received the Medal of Honor posthumously on September 13, 1966, at a White House ceremony, accepted by his wife. His name is listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:29 (CET).