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Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company F, 119th
Infantry, 30th Infantry Division. Place and date: Hamelin, Germany, 6 April
1945. Entered service at: Holyoke, Mass. Birth: Holyoke, Mass. G.O. No.:
9, 25 January 1946. Citation: He was leading the 2d Platoon of Company
F over flat, open terrain to Hamelin, Germany, when the enemy went into
action with machineguns and automatic weapons, laying down a devastating
curtain of fire which pinned his unit to the ground. By rotating men in
firing positions he made it possible for his entire platoon to dig in,
defying all the while the murderous enemy fire to encourage his men and
to distribute ammunition. He then dug in himself at the most advanced position,
where he kept up a steady fire, killing 6 hostile soldiers, and directing
his men in inflicting heavy casualties on the numerically superior opposing
force. Despite these defensive measures, however, the position of the platoon
became more precarious, for the enemy had brought up strong reinforcements
and was preparing a counterattack. Three men, sent back at intervals to
obtain ammunition and reinforcements, were killed by sniper fire. To relieve
his command from the desperate situation, 1st Lt. Beaudoin decided to make
a l-man attack on the most damaging enemy sniper nest 90 yards to the right
flank, and thereby divert attention from the runner who would attempt to
pierce the enemy's barrier of bullets and secure help. Crawling over completely
exposed ground, he relentlessly advanced, undeterred by 8 rounds of bazooka
fire which threw mud and stones over him or by rifle fire which ripped
his uniform. Ten yards from the enemy position he stood up and charged.
At point-blank range he shot and killed 2 occupants of the nest; a third,
who tried to bayonet him, he overpowered and killed with the butt of his
carbine; and the fourth adversary was cut down by the platoon's rifle fire
as he attempted to flee. He continued his attack by running toward a dugout,
but there he was struck and killed by a burst from a machinegun. By his
intrepidity, great fighting skill, and supreme devotion to his responsibility
for the well-being of his platoon, 1st Lt. Beaudoin single-handedly accomplished
a mission that enabled a messenger to secure help which saved the stricken
unit and made possible the decisive defeat of the German forces.
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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