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Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company I, 160th Infantry,
40th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near San Jose Hacienda, Negros,
Philippine Islands, 23 May 1945. Entered service at: Rockford, Mich. Birth:
Rockford, Mich. G.O. No.: 97, 1 November 1945. Citation: He led an attack
against a high precipitous ridge defended by a company of enemy riflemen,
who were entrenched in spider holes and supported by well-sealed pillboxes
housing automatic weapons with interlocking bands of fire. The terrain
was such that only 1 squad could advance at one time; and from a knoll
atop a ridge a pillbox covered the only approach with automatic fire. Against
this enemy stronghold, S/Sgt. Sjogren led the first squad to open the assault.
Deploying his men, he moved forward and was hurling grenades when he saw
that his next in command, at the opposite flank, was gravely wounded. Without
hesitation he crossed 20 yards of exposed terrain in the face of enemy
fire and exploding dynamite charges, moved the man to cover and administered
first aid. He then worked his way forward and, advancing directly into
the enemy fire, killed 8 Japanese in spider holes guarding the approach
to the pillbox. Crawling to within a few feet of the pillbox while his
men concentrated their bullets on the fire port, he began dropping grenades
through the narrow firing slit. The enemy immediately threw 2 or 3 of these
unexploded grenades out, and fragments from one wounded him in the hand
and back. However, by hurling grenades through the embrasure faster then
the enemy could return them, he succeeded in destroying the occupants.
Despite his wounds, he directed his squad to follow him in a systematic
attack on the remaining positions, which he eliminated in like manner,
taking tremendous risks, overcoming bitter resistance, and never hesitating
in his relentless advance. To silence one of the pillboxes, he wrenched
a light machinegun out through the embrasure as it was firing before blowing
up the occupants with handgrenades. During this action, S/Sgt. Sjogren,
by his heroic bravery, aggressiveness, and skill as a soldier, single-handedly
killed 43 enemy soldiers and destroyed 9 pillboxes, thereby paving the
way for his company's successful advance.
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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