Putnam County, Fla. — On Saturday members of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard celebrated the life of a fallen Marine whose exemplary actions at the height of the Vietnam War earned him a Medal of Honor, the U.S. government’s highest and most prestigious military decoration.
It’s an award that has not been presented to another Putnam native since.
Marine Corps Private 1st Class Robert Jenkins Jr. was born June 1, 1948, in Interlachen. Jenkins graduated from Palatka Central Academy, an all-Black high school, in 1967, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Jenkins’ family and friends said he had lots of friends, got good grades and always worked hard for his family, according to the Florida Department of Military Affairs.
Jenkins enlisted on Feb. 2, 1968, as the Vietnam War was raging. Within months, he was deployed to the Southeast Asian country with the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division.
A year later, on March 5, 1969, Jenkins, along with 12 of his fellow Marines, were attacked by North Vietnamese soldiers. While Jenkins and Marine Fred Ostrom were fighting off enemy fire, a Vietnamese soldier threw a hand grenade into their ditch.
Jenkins immediately pushed Ostrom to the ground, jumping on top of him to shield him from the blast.
Ostrom survived. Jenkins did not.
He was not yet 21.
“He saved more than my life — I have two kids,” Ostrom said in a November 1996 interview with the Tampa Tribune.
Jenkins received a posthumous recommendation for the Medal of Honor. On April 20, 1970, his family accepted it on his behalf from Vice President Spiro Agnew during a White House ceremony.
For the next 37 years, Ostrom remained dedicated to telling Jenkins’ story. Ostrom died in 2006.
In the decades since Jenkins’ passing, the city of Interlachen has worked to memorialize the young Marine. Jenkins’ high school, a Putnam County park and a post office would all eventually be renamed in his honor.
To see more of Jenkins’ life in photos click HERE.
©2021 Cox Media Group
