James Leroy Bondsteel

Bondsteel, along with three other Medal of Honor recipients who were from the area, is honored on the Medal of Honor Memorial in Jackson County, Michigan, dedicated on November 22, 2011.

Bondsteel died on the Knik River bridge of the Glenn Highway in 1987 when a trailer full of logs came unhooked from the transport which was pulling it and slammed into the front of his AMC Spirit.

Bondsteel enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1965 and was posted to Korea where he contributed his time to an orphanage. His contract in the Marine Corps finished he next enlisted the United States Army, serving until his retirement in 1985. In 1969 he was deployed to Vietnam with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division where he received the Medal of Honor for his actions which occurred on May 24, 1969 near An Lộc, South Vietnam during Operation Toan Thang III. During his time in Vietnam, Bondsteel learned to speak Vietnamese and could differentiate between different regional dialects. After leaving Vietnam Bondsteel he was posted to West Germany from 1970 to 1973 and held various other postings until his retirement in 1985 after 20-years of service. After his retirement from the Army as a Master Sergeant, he worked for the Veterans Administration as a counselor at the regional office in Anchorage, Alaska.

James Leroy Bondsteel was born in Jackson, Michigan to Betty Jean Daisy and her fiancé, Kenneth Bondsteel. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1965 after graduating from Jonesville High School in Jonesville, Michigan.

James Leroy Bondsteel (July 18, 1947 – April 9, 1987) was a United States Army soldier who served during the Vietnam War, where he earned the Medal of Honor. His Medal of Honor, awarded in November 1973, was the last presented by President Richard Nixon.