"Medal of Honor" James A Taylor Signed TLS Dated 1969 COA For Sale

James Allen Taylor(bornDecember 31, 1937) is a retiredUnited States Armyofficerand a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—theMedal of Honor—for his actions in theVietnam War. Taylor joined theUnited States ArmyfromSan Francisco, California,in 1956 and was commissioned as an officer in 1965. By November 8, 1967, he wasserving as afirst lieutenantinTroop B, 1st Squadron,1st CavalryRegiment,AmericalDivision. When his commander was wounded in action, Taylor wasordered into the combat zone to take command and prepare a search-and-destroymission. During a battle the next day, west ofQue Sonin theRepublic of Vietnam, Taylor repeatedly exposed himself toenemy fire to rescue crewmen from damaged assault vehicles and personnelcarriers. He was subsequently promoted tocaptainand awarded theMedal of Honoron November 19, 1968. Taylor reached therank ofmajorbefore retiringfrom the army in 1980. He holds a bachelor's degree in criminology fromtheUniversity of Tampa.

Taylor's official Medal of Honor citationreads:

Capt. Taylor,Armor, was serving as executive officer of Troop B, 1stSquadron. His troop was engaged in an attack on a fortified position west ofQue Son when it came under intense enemyrecoilless rifle,mortar, andautomatic weaponsfire from an enemy strong point locatedimmediately to its front. One armored cavalry assault vehicle was hitimmediately by recoilless rifle fire and all 5 crewmembers were wounded. Awarethat the stricken vehicle was in grave danger of exploding, Capt. Taylor rushedforward and personally extracted the wounded to safety despite the hail ofenemy fire and exploding ammunition. Within minutes a second armored cavalryassault vehicle was hit by multiple recoilless rifle rounds. Despite thecontinuing intense enemy fire, Capt. Taylor moved forward on foot to rescue thewounded men from the burning vehicle and personally removed all the crewmen tothe safety of a nearby dike. Moments later the vehicle exploded. As he wasreturning to his vehicle, a bursting mortar round painfully wounded Capt.Taylor, yet he valiantly returned to his vehicle to relocate the medicalevacuation landing zone to an area closer to the front lines. As he was movinghis vehicle, it came under machinegun fire from an enemy position not 50 yardsaway. Capt. Taylor engaged the position with his machinegun, killing the 3-mancrew. Upon arrival at the new evacuation site, still another vehicle wasstruck. Once again Capt. Taylor rushed forward and pulled the wounded from thevehicle, loaded them aboard his vehicle, and returned them safely to theevacuation site. His actions of unsurpassed valor were a source of inspirationto his entire troop, contributed significantly to the success of the overallassault on the enemy position, and were directly responsible for saving thelives of a number of his fellow soldiers. His actions were in keeping with thehighest traditions of the military profession and reflect great credit uponhimself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.