McCARTER, LLOYD G. - Medal of Honor Recipient
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Place and date: Corregidor, Philippine Islands, 16 19 February 1945.
Entered service at:
Tacoma, Wash. Birth: 11 May 1917, St. Maries, Idaho. G.O. No.:
77, 10 September 1945. Citation: He was a scout with the regiment which
seized the fortress of Corregidor, Philippine Islands. Shortly after the
initial parachute assault on 16 February 1945, he crossed 30 yards of open
ground under intense enemy fire, and at pointblank range silenced a machinegun
with hand grenades. On the afternoon of 18 February he killed 6 snipers.
That evening, when a large force attempted to bypass his company, he voluntarily
moved to an exposed area and opened fire. The enemy attacked his position
repeatedly throughout the night and was each time repulsed. By 2 o'clock
in the morning, all the men about him had been wounded; but shouting encouragement
to his comrades and defiance at the enemy, he continued to bear the brunt
of the attack, fearlessly exposing himself to locate enemy soldiers and
then pouring heavy fire on them. He repeatedly crawled back to the American
line to secure more ammunition. When his submachine gun would no longer
operate, he seized an automatic rifle and continued to inflict heavy casualties.
This weapon, in turn, became too hot to use and, discarding it, he continued
with an M-l rifle. At dawn the enemy attacked with renewed intensity. Completely
exposing himself to hostile fire, he stood erect to locate the most dangerous
enemy positions. He was seriously wounded; but, though he had already killed
more than 30 of the enemy, he refused to evacuate until he had pointed
out immediate objectives for attack. Through his sustained and outstanding
heroism in the face of grave and obvious danger, Pvt. McCarter made outstanding
contributions to the success of his company and to the recapture of Corregidor.
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