A dedication and plaque presentation Wednesday celebrated the renaming of the Hub City Post Office in Compton in honor of the first Black Marine to receive the Medal of Honor.
Rep. Nanette Barragan, D-San Pedro, introduced the bill to designate the post office at 101 S. Willowbrook Ave. as the Pfc. James Anderson Jr. Post Office Building. She attended the ceremony Wednesday morning, along with Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, Compton Mayor Emma Sharif and members of Anderson’s family.
“Pfc Anderson was an American hero,” Barragan said. “His selfless actions in Vietnam saved the lives of his fellow soldiers.”
Anderson enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in February 1966, arriving in Vietnam that December.
According to his Medal of Honor citation, on Feb. 28, 1967, Anderson’s platoon was advancing in dense jungle northwest of Cam Lo on Vietnam’s central coast in an effort to rescue a reconnaissance patrol.
His platoon had advanced only about 600 feet when it came under intense enemy fire. An enemy grenade landed near Anderson’s head, and he curled around it as it went off, according to the citation.
Although several Marines received shrapnel from the grenade, Anderson’s body absorbed the major force of the explosion, saving their lives.
“As the first Black Marine to win the Congressional Medal of Honor, it was important that we recognize his bravery and sacrifice here in his hometown,” Barragan said. “It was an honor to stand with Pfc Anderson’s family this morning as the Compton post office was officially dedicated in his name.”
Secretary of the Navy Paul Ignatius posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest honor, to Anderson on Aug. 21, 1968, which was presented to his family.
Anderson was born Jan. 22, 1947, in Los Angeles. He attended Carver Elementary School in Willowbrook, graduated from Centennial High School in Compton and went to Los Angeles Harbor College.
Anderson is buried in Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery in Compton.