Travis E. Watkins

Two days short of his thirtieth birthday upon his death, Watkins was buried at Gladewater Memorial Cemetery in Gladewater, Texas. Every year since 2008, a memorial ceremony has been held at his grave on the Saturday closest to National Medal of Honor Day. The transport ship USNS Watkins (T-AKR-315) was named in his honor.

Later, six North Koreans gained a position which allowed them to throw grenades into the American defenses. Watkins rose from his foxhole and killed the six soldiers with his rifle. Hit by machine gun fire in the process, he was rendered paralyzed from the waist down. Despite his severe injuries, he continued to encourage his men and refused all food, preferring to save it for others. Realizing that the position was untenable, on September 3 he ordered the group to withdraw and leave him behind. He died of his wounds soon after. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor six months later, on February 16, 1951.

In the Korean War, Watkins served as a master sergeant with Company H of the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. Near Yeongsan, Korea, on August 31, 1950, he was among a group of 30 soldiers who were cut off and surrounded by a numerically superior North Korean force. Watkins took command and directed the group's defense, exposing himself to hostile fire in order to lead and encourage his men. When ammunition became scarce, he crossed the defensive perimeter to collect weapons from the bodies of two North Korean soldiers whom he had killed. Encountering three hostile soldiers, he was wounded but managed to kill the three men and took their weapons and ammunition as well before returning to friendly lines.

Enlisting in the U.S. Army in June 1939, Watkins served in World War II and was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions during the Guadalcanal Campaign. He returned to Texas after the war and in 1948 married Madie Sue Barnett.

Travis Earl Watkins (September 5, 1920 – September 3, 1950) was a United States Army soldier and a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Korean War. A veteran of World War II, Watkins was awarded the medal for his conspicuous leadership during the Battle of Yongsan.

Watkins was born in Waldo, Arkansas, on September 5, 1920. His family moved to East Texas when he was a young child and he attended school in the city of Troup.