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Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Troop G, 5th Cavalry Regiment,
1st Cavalry Division. Place and date: Los Negros Islands, Admiralty Group,
4 March 1944. Entered service at: Ada, Okla. Birth: Knoxville, Tenn. G.O.
No.: 74, 11 September 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity
above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy at Los Negros
Island, Admiralty Group, on 4 March 1944. In the early morning hours Sgt.
McGill, with a squad of 8 men, occupied a revetment which bore the brunt
of a furious attack by approximately 200 drinkcrazed enemy troops. Although
covered by crossfire from machineguns on the right and left flank he could
receive no support from the remainder of our troops stationed at his rear.
All members of the squad were killed or wounded except Sgt. McGill and
another man, whom he ordered to return to the next revetment. Courageously
resolved to hold his position at all cost, he fired his weapon until it
ceased to function. Then, with the enemy only 5 yards away, he charged
from his foxhole in the face of certain death and clubbed the enemy with
his rifle in handtohand combat until he was killed. At dawn 105 enemy dead
were found around his position. Sgt. McGill's intrepid stand was an inspiration
to his comrades and a decisive factor in the defeat of a fanatical enemy.
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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