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Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company I, 120th Infantry,
30th Infantry Division. Place and date: Bardenberg, Germany, 12 October
1944. Entered service at: Yakima, Wash. Birth: Sentinel Butte, N. Dak.
G.O. No.: 24, 6 April 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity
at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 12 October
1944. When Company I was advancing on the town of Bardenberg, Germany,
they reached a point approximately two-thirds of the distance through the
town when they were pinned down by fire from a nest of enemy machineguns.
This enemy strong point was protected by a lone machinegun strategically
placed at an intersection and firing down a street which offered little
or no cover or concealment for the advancing troops. The elimination of
this protecting machinegun was imperative in order that the stronger position
it protected could be neutralized. After repeated and unsuccessful attempts
had been made to knock out this position, S/Sgt. Pendleton volunteered
to lead his squad in an attempt to neutralize this strongpoint. S/Sgt.
Pendleton started his squad slowly forward, crawling about 10 yards in
front of his men in the advance toward the enemy gun. After advancing approximately
130 yards under the withering fire, S/Sgt. Pendleton was seriously wounded
in the leg by a burst from the gun he was assaulting. Disregarding his
grievous wound, he ordered his men to remain where they were, and with
a supply of handgrenades he slowly and painfully worked his way forward
alone. With no hope of surviving the veritable hail of machinegun fire
which he deliberately drew onto himself, he succeeded in advancing to within
10 yards of the enemy position when he was instantly killed by a burst
from the enemy gun. By deliberately diverting the attention of the enemy
machine gunners upon himself, a second squad was able to advance, undetected,
and with the help of S/Sgt. Pendleton's squad, neutralized the lone machinegun,
while another platoon of his company advanced up the intersecting street
and knocked out the machinegun nest which the first gun had been covering.
S/Sgt. Pendleton's sacrifice enabled the entire company to continue the
advance and complete their mission at a critical phase of the action.
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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