August 14, 2022
James Lamar Stone was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in December 1922, to parents State and Idell Stone. He grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with his brother, Edward. Stone joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and studied chemistry and zoology at the University of Arkansas, where he met his first wife, Jane, with whom he had two sons. He graduated from college in 1947 and worked for General Electric.
Stone joined the Army in 1948 and trained at Fort Ord, California. He deployed to serve in the Korean War with the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division in March 1951. He alternated between platoons because of a high rate of turnover among junior officers due to the number of casualties.
In November 1951, as a first lieutenant, he was tasked with leading the 3rd platoon of Company E, whose mission was to defend a vital outpost above the Imjin River near Sokkogae, North Korea. There, his platoon of 48 men were mortared by a battalion of Chine forces. Three hours later, a second enemy battalion appeared, making for a force of roughly 800 enemy soldiers.
Despite being far outnumbered and having been shot in both the knees and neck, Stone calmly directed his men in defense against the enemy, repaired a malfunctioning defensive flamethrower by himself, carried the only remaining light machine gun to fire at the forces which surrounded him, and stayed behind with the badly wounded after ordering the men that could still walk to retreat to Company E. Stone subsequently lost consciousness and awoke at a prisoner of war camp near the Yalu River after being captured by Chinese forces. After 22 months of captivity, he was liberated in a prisoner exchange in September 1953.
For his actions in combat, he received a Medal of Honor, a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He attained the rank of colonel and continued to serve in Germany; Fort Worth, Texas; and Vietnam. He retired from service in 1976 and settled in Arlington, Texas, in 1980, where he was active in Veterans’ groups.
Stone died from cancer in November 2012. His remains are buried in Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Dallas.
We honor his service.
Nominate a Veteran
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s “Honoring Veterans” social media spotlight is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission
Writer: Kim McAdams
Editors: Alexander Reza, Annabelle Colton
Researchers: Patrick Woods, David Charles Deprez
Graphic Designer: Yasmine Pierce
Topics in this story
Link Disclaimer
This page includes links to other websites outside our control and jurisdiction. VA is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of non-VA Web sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy or terms and conditions of those sites to fully understand what information is collected and how it is used.
Statement of Endorsement
Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
More Stories
In honor of National Park Service's National Park Week, this week's Honoring Veterans spotlight honors the service of Army Veteran Michael Trevino, who today works as a facility manager at Reconstruction Era National Historical Park.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Navy Veteran Ken Mattingly, who served as a pilot during the 1950s and later became an astronaut during the Apollo missions.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Air Force Veteran Gavino Cavazos, who served from 1949 to 1973 during both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Getting use to the great services you have done for me since I left California.. learning how to use this talking device.