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Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company K, 135th
Infantry, 34th Infantry Division. Place and date: Monte Frassino, Italy,
14 September 1944. Entered service at: Detroit, Mich. Birth: Indianapolis,
Ind. G.O. No.: 8, 7 February 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry
and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in
the vicinity of Monte Frassino, Italy. The 3d Platoon, in attempting to
seize a strongly fortified hill position protected by 3 parallel high terraced
stone walls, was twice thrown back by the withering crossfire. 2d Lt. Wigle,
acting company executive, observing that the platoon was without an officer,
volunteered to command it on the next attack. Leading his men up the bare,
rocky slopes through intense and concentrated fire, he succeeded in reaching
the first of the stone walls. Having himself boosted to the top and perching
there in full view of the enemy, he drew and returned their fire while
his men helped each other up and over. Following the same method, he successfully
negotiated the second. Upon reaching the top of the third wall, he faced
3 houses which were the key point of the enemy defense. Ordering his men
to cover him, he made a dash through a hail of machine-pistol fire to reach
the nearest house. Firing his carbine as he entered, he drove the enemy
before him out of the back door and into the second house. Following closely
on the heels of the foe, he drove them from this house into the third where
they took refuge in the cellar. When his men rejoined him, they found him
mortally wounded on the cellar stairs which he had started to descend to
force the surrender of the enemy. His heroic action resulted in the capture
of 36 German soldiers and the seizure of the strongpoint.
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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