Sister of Medal of Honor winner to speak at Sheffield ceremony

Medal of Honor recipient Private James W. Fous died as many knew him: a hero.

Fous, a native of Omaha, was killed in May 1968 when he fell on an enemy grenade to save the lives of three of his fellow Army soldiers during his service in the Vietnam War, an action that merited the Medal of Honor.

Fous’ death came during the most deadly period in the Vietnam War. Nearly half of all U.S. soldiers killed in the war died in 1968. In May of that year, the month in which Fous perished, 2415 soldiers lost their lives, which is the highest total for any month during the war.

At 21 years old, Fous was one of 39,996 under the age of 22 to lose their lives. At least 15,000 to 20,000 of those were under the age of 19.

Fous’ sister, Sherry Williams, knows first-hand the impact the Vietnam War had on tens of thousands of families. She can vividly recall the day she and her family received the news. Williams has since made it her mission to keep his memory alive.

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