|
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company B, 382d Infantry,
96th Infantry Division. Place and date: Zebra Hill, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands,
11 May 1945. Entered service at: Little Rock, Ark. Birth: Little Rock,
Ark. G.O. No.: 23, 6 March 1946. Citation: 1st Lt. Terry was leading an
attack against heavily defended Zebra Hill when devastating fire from 5
pillboxes halted the advance. He braved the hail of bullets to secure satchel
charges and white phosphorus grenades, and then ran 30 yards directly at
the enemy with an ignited charge to the first stronghold, demolished it,
and moved on to the other pillboxes, bombarding them with his grenades
and calmly cutting down their defenders with rifle fire as they attempted
to escape. When he had finished this job by sealing the 4 pillboxes with
explosives, he had killed 20 Japanese and destroyed 3 machineguns. The
advance was again held up by an intense grenade barrage which inflicted
several casualties. Locating the source of enemy fire in trenches on the
reverse slope of the hill, 1st Lt. Terry, burdened by 6 satchel charges
launched a l-man assault. He wrecked the enemy's defenses by throwing explosives
into their positions and himself accounted for 10 of the 20 hostile troops
killed when his men overran the area. Pressing forward again toward a nearby
ridge, his 2 assault platoons were stopped by slashing machinegun and mortar
fire. He fearlessly ran across 100 yards of fire-swept terrain to join
the support platoon and urge it on in a flanking maneuver. This thrust,
too, was halted by stubborn resistance. 1st Lt. Terry began another 1 -man
drive, hurling grenades upon the strongly entrenched defenders until they
fled in confusion, leaving 5 dead behind them. Inspired by this bold action,
the support platoon charged the retreating enemy and annihilated them.
Soon afterward, while organizing his company to repulse a possible counterattack,
the gallant company commander was mortally wounded by the burst of an enemy
mortar shell. By his indomitable fighting spirit, brilliant leadership,
and unwavering courage in the face of tremendous odds, 1st Lt. Terry made
possible the accomplishment of his unit's mission and set an example of
heroism in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
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)
| | |