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Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company F, 17th
Infantry, 7th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Dagami, Leyte, Philippine
Islands, 28 October 1944. Entered service at: Preston, Idaho. Birth: Preston,
Idaho. G.O. No.: 104, 15 November 1945. Citation: He was a rifleman with
an assault platoon which ran into powerful resistance near Dagami, Leyte,
Philippine Islands, on 28 October 1944. From pillboxes, trenches, and spider
holes, so well camouflaged that they could be detected at no more than
20 yards, the enemy poured machinegun and rifle fire, causing severe casualties
in the platoon. Realizing that a key pillbox in the center of the strong
point would have to be knocked out if the company were to advance, Pfc.
Bostrom, without orders and completely ignoring his own safety, ran forward
to attack the pillbox with grenades. He immediately became the prime target
for all the riflemen in the area, as he rushed to the rear of the pillbox
and tossed grenades through the entrance. Six enemy soldiers left a trench
in a bayonet charge against the heroic American, but he killed 1 and drove
the others off with rifle fire. As he threw more grenades from his completely
exposed position he was wounded several times in the abdomen and knocked
to the ground. Although suffering intense pain and rapidly weakening from
loss of blood, he slowly rose to his feet and once more hurled his deadly
missiles at the pillbox. As he collapsed, the enemy began fleeing from
the fortification and were killed by riflemen of his platoon. Pfc. Brostrom
died while being carried from the battlefield, but his intrepidity and
unhesitating willingness to sacrifice himself in a l-man attack against
overwhelming odds enabled his company to reorganize against attack, and
annihilate the entire enemy position.
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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