SQUIRES, JOHN C. - Medal of Honor Recipient
Rank and organization: Sergeant (then Private First Class), U.S. Army,
Company A, 30th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Padiglione,
Italy, 23-24 April 1944. Entered service at: Louisville, Ky. Birth: Louisville,
Ky. G.O. No.: 78, 2 October 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and
intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. At the start
of his company's attack on strongly held enemy positions in and around
Spaccasassi Creek, near Padiglione, Italy, on the night of 23-24 April
1944, Pfc. Squires, platoon messenger, participating in his first offensive
action, braved intense artillery, mortar, and antitank gun fire in order
to investigate the effects of an antitank mine explosion on the leading
platoon. Despite shells which burst close to him, Pfc. Squires made his
way 50 yards forward to the advance element, noted the situation, reconnoitered
a new route of advance and informed his platoon leader of the casualties
sustained and the alternate route. Acting without orders, he rounded up
stragglers, organized a group of lost men into a squad and led them forward.
When the platoon reached Spaccasassi Creek and established an outpost,
Pfc. Squires, knowing that almost all of the noncommissioned officers were
casualties, placed 8 men in position of his own volition, disregarding
enemy machinegun, machine-pistol, and grenade fire which covered the creek
draw. When his platoon had been reduced to 14 men, he brought up reinforcements
twice. On each trip he went through barbed wire and across an enemy minefield,
under intense artillery and mortar fire. Three times in the early morning
the outpost was counterattacked. Each time Pfc. Squires ignored withering
enemy automatic fire and grenades which struck all around him, and fired
hundreds of rounds of rifle, Browning automatic rifle, and captured German
Spandau machinegun ammunition at the enemy, inflicting numerous casualties
and materially aiding in repulsing the attacks. Following these fights,
he moved 50 yards to the south end of the outpost and engaged 21 German
soldiers in individual machinegun duels at point-blank range, forcing all
21 enemy to surrender and capturing 13 more Spandau guns. Learning the
function of this weapon by questioning a German officer prisoner, he placed
the captured guns in position and instructed other members of his platoon
in their operation. The next night when the Germans attacked the outpost
again he killed 3 and wounded more Germans with captured potato-masher
grenades and fire from his Spandau gun. Pfc. Squires was killed in a subsequent
action.
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