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Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 7th Infantry,
3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near La Lande, France, 17 August
1944. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Birth: 31 October 1909, Carlisle,
W. Va. G.O. No.: 7, 1 February 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry
and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 17
August 1944, near La Lande, France, he climbed on top of a knocked-out
tank, in the face of withering machinegun fire which had halted the advance
of his company, in an effort to locate the source of this fire. Although
bullets ricocheted off the turret at his feet, he nevertheless remained
standing upright in full view of the enemy for over 2 minutes. Locating
the enemy machineguns on a knoll 200 yards away, he ordered 2 squads to
cover him and led his men down an irrigation ditch, running a gauntlet
of intense machinegun fire, which completely blanketed 50 yards of his
advance and wounded 4 of his men. While the Germans hurled hand grenades
at the ditch, he stood his ground until his squad caught up with him, then
advanced alone, in a wide flanking approach, to the rear of the knoll.
He walked deliberately a distance of 40 yards, without cover, in full view
of the Germans and under a hail of both enemy and friendly fire, to the
first machinegun and knocked it out with a single short burst. Then he
made his way through the strong point, despite bursting hand grenades,
toward the second machinegun, 25 yards distant, whose 2-man crew swung
the machinegun around and fired two bursts at him, but he walked calmly
through the fire and, reaching the edge of the emplacement, dispatched
the crew. Signaling his men to rush the rifle pits, he then walked 35 yards
further to kill an enemy rifleman and returned to lead his squad in the
destruction of the 8 remaining Germans in the strong point. His audacity
so inspired the remainder of the assault company that the men charged out
of their positions, shouting and yelling, to overpower the enemy roadblock
and sweep into town, knocking out 2 antitank guns, killing 37 Germans and
capturing 26 others. He had sparked and led the assault company in an attack
which overwhelmed the enemy, destroying a roadblock, taking a town, seizing
intact 3 bridges over the Maravenne River, and capturing commanding terrain
which dominated the area.
This data was extracted from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1973 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973)
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