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Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 3d Reconnaissance
Troop, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Agrigento, Sicily, 17
July 1943. Entered service at: Piedmont, Calif. Birth: Oakland, Calif.
G.O. No.: 69, 21 October 1943. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and
intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action
involving actual conflict with the enemy. Commander of a reconnaissance
platoon, 1st Lt. Waybur volunteered to lead a 3-vehicle patrol into enemy-held
territory to locate an isolated Ranger unit. Proceeding under cover of
darkness, over roads known to be heavily mined, and strongly defended by
road blocks and machinegun positions, the patrol's progress was halted
at a bridge which had been destroyed by enemy troops and was suddenly cut
off from its supporting vehicles by 4 enemy tanks. Although hopelessly
outnumbered and out-gunned, and himself and his men completely exposed,
he quickly dispersed his vehicles and ordered his gunners to open fire
with their .30 and .50 caliber machineguns. Then, with ammunition exhausted,
3 of his men hit and himself seriously wounded, he seized his .45 caliber
Thompson submachinegun and standing in the bright moonlight directly in
the line of fire, alone engaged the leading tank at 30 yards and succeeded
in killing the crewmembers, causing the tank to run onto the bridge and
crash into the stream bed. After dispatching 1 of the men for aid he rallied
the rest to cover and withstood the continued fire of the tanks till the
arrival of aid the following morning.
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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