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Rank and organization: Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army, 3d Infantry
Division. Place and date: Near Isola Bella, Italy, 28 January 1944.
Entered Service at:
Chicago, Ill. Birth: Nysund, Sweden. G.O. No.: 74, 11 September
1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life
above and beyond the call of duty. On 28 January 1944, near Isola Bella,
Italy, Tech. 5th Grade Gibson, company cook, led a squad of replacements
through their initial baptism of fire, destroyed four enemy positions,
killed 5 and captured 2 German soldiers, and secured the left flank of
his company during an attack on a strongpoint. Placing himself 50 yards
in front of his new men, Gibson advanced down the wide stream ditch known
as the Fossa Femminamorta, keeping pace with the advance of his company.
An enemy soldier allowed Tech. 5th Grade Gibson to come within 20 yards
of his concealed position and then opened fire on him with a machine pistol.
Despite the stream of automatic fire which barely missed him, Gibson charged
the position, firing his submachine gun every few steps. Reaching the position,
Gibson fired pointblank at his opponent, killing him. An artillery concentration
fell in and around the ditch; the concussion from one shell knocked him
flat. As he got to his feet Gibson was fired on by two soldiers armed with
a machine pistol and a rifle from a position only 75 yards distant. Gibson
immediately raced toward the foe. Halfway to the position a machinegun
opened fire on him. Bullets came within inches of his body, yet Gibson
never paused in his forward movement. He killed one and captured the other
soldier. Shortly after, when he was fired upon by a heavy machinegun 200
yards down the ditch, Gibson crawled back to his squad and ordered it to
lay down a base of fire while he flanked the emplacement. Despite all warning,
Gibson crawled 125 yards through an artillery concentration and the cross
fire of 2 machineguns which showered dirt over his body, threw 2 hand grenades
into the emplacement and charged it with his submachine gun, killing 2
of the enemy and capturing a third. Before leading his men around a bend
in the stream ditch, Gibson went forward alone to reconnoiter. Hearing
an exchange of machine pistol and submachine gun fire, Gibson's squad went
forward to find that its leader had run 35 yards toward an outpost, killed
the machine pistol man, and had himself been killed while firing at the
Germans.
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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