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Remember...James Russell Corder
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James Russell Corder was born on July 24, 1947, in Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia. His parents were Alverta Pearl Wilson Corder and Cecil Winfield Corder. James, commonly referred to as "Johnny," grew up in a poor coal camp in Hepzibah, West Virginia. He was the oldest of six siblings: Larry W. Corder, Terry A. Corder, Rodger A. Corder, Robert D. Corder, and Gloria Jean Corder Workman. His siblings described Johnny as their "mentor," "protector," and loyal brother who helped them with their schoolwork. The family moved to a 36-acre farm in Good Hope, West Virginia, where Johnny helped his family install fencing around the property, raised livestock, and cared for three large gardens.
Johnny was known as an adventurer who caught live snakes, which he used to scare his mom, and became an expert marksman known for taking down two crows with one shot. As a teenager, Johnny attended Unidis High School; however, in 1965, Lost Creek High School and West Milford's Unidis High School were consolidated to create South Harrison High School. This new school had grades 7-12 at the facility. At some point in his teenage years, his family moved to Wolf Summit, Harrison County, West Virginia.
The Vietnam War was a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. At the heart of the conflict was the desire of North Vietnam, which had defeated the French colonial administration of Vietnam in 1954, to unify the entire country under a single communist regime modeled after those of the Soviet Union and China. The South Vietnamese government, on the other hand, fought to preserve a Vietnam more closely aligned with the West. U.S. military advisers, present in small numbers throughout the 1950s, were introduced on a large scale beginning in 1961, and active combat units were introduced in 1965. By 1969, more than 500,000 U.S. military personnel were stationed in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union and China poured weapons, supplies, and advisers into the North, which in turn provided support, political direction, and regular combat troops for the campaign in the South. (Ronald H. Spector, "Vietnam War: 1954-1975," Britannica, accessed 2 March 2022, https://www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War.)
Johnny enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves on May 8, 1967, in Fairmont, West Virginia, shortly after he graduated from South Harrison High School. He was hoping to protect his younger brothers from the draft. His service number was 2227559, and his military occupation specialty (MOS) was 0311: Rifleman. After his initial training, Private First Class Johnny Corder was extended on active duty, where he was deployed to Vietnam on November 3, 1967. He was assigned to Company I [India], 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division (MARDIV), III Marine Amphibious Force (MAF) in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. (A 29 August 1968 archived declassified command chronology for III MAF for May 1968 is available online, accessed 2 March 2022, https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/2438700/content/usmc/004/00000105.pdf.)
During the month of May 1968, Allied Forces continued operations to deny enemy units entry into I Corps Tactical Zone (ICTZ), to destroy enemy forces in ICTZ, to deny the enemy the use of supply bases and staging areas for attacks, and to deny the enemy access to food-producing areas. Throughout this period, III MAF forces maintained maximum pressure on the enemy to deny him any opportunity to mass his force for a second offensive of the Tet magnitude.
On May 22 at 0630 hours, India Company made contact with what appeared to be a small North Vietnamese Army (NVA) unit. As the situation developed, it became evident that the NVA unit was a company size or larger. This contact initiated a four-battalion operation that continued through May 24. The 3rd Battalion Marines became heavily engaged on several occasions throughout these two days. On May 23, 1968, India Company was in the vicinity of Lam Son, 3-4 kilometers east of Con Thien - Hill 158, when they were engaged in a firefight. It was estimated that India Company received 30 rounds of enemy artillery. An enemy mortar landed next to the foxhole in which Pfc. Johnny R. Corder was operating the field radio, when he was killed in action. He was only 20 years old when he lost his life. India Company sustained two killed in action and seven wounded in action during the hostile firefight. (Casualties to India Company during the month of May are listed without names in a 7 June 1968 declassified document, accessed 2 March 2022, https://vva.vietnam.ttu.edu/images.php?img=/images/1201/1201040023.pdf.)
| Family members were overwhelmed with sorrow when they received word that Johnny had become a casualty in what would become the deadliest month of the Vietnam War, and he continues to be missed by his family. His body was recovered and returned to the U.S., where he was buried at Sunset Memorial Park, Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia. Pfc. Johnny R. Corder will always be remembered for his sacrifice to our country as he is memorialized at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Washington, D.C., on Panel 66 East, Line 7. He is also honored at the West Virginia Veterans Memorial located in Charleston, West Virginia. |  |
One of his siblings said, "James was always a hard worker. He did everything he was told with a smile on his face and never complained. We all looked up to James, and he went out being the hero he is." He died doing what he loved, and he loved protecting people. Pfc James Russell Corder was eligible to receive the following commendations: the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Marksmanship Badge, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, and the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal. ("James Russell Corder," HonorStates.org, accessed 2 March 2022, https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=267698.)
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It is fitting that an enduring memorial be established to commemorate Pfc. James R. "Johnny" Corder for his contributions to our state and country. On February 13, 2020, the West Virginia Legislature introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 32 by Senators Romano, Facemire, Lindsay, Unger, Jeffries, and Cline. It requested that the West Virginia Division of Highways rename Bridge Number 17-019/00-004.49 (17A069), locally known as the "Good Hope Bridge," carrying U.S. Route 19 over the West Fork River in Harrison County, as the "U. S. Marine Corps PFC James R. 'Johnny' Corder Memorial Bridge." |
Article prepared by Hallie Tye and MAJ (Ret) Brad McGee, George Washington High School JROTC
February 2022
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
