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Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company K, 148th
Infantry, 37th Infantry Division. Place and date: Manila, Luzon, Philippine
Islands, 5 February 1945. Entered service at: Ukiah, Calif. Birth: Bayside,
Calif. G.O. No.: 92, 25 October 1945. Citation: He displayed conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. Forced by
the enemy's detonation of prepared demolitions to shift the course of his
advance through the city, he led the 1st platoon toward a small bridge,
where heavy fire from 3 enemy pillboxes halted the unit. With 2 men he
crossed the bridge behind screening grenade smoke to attack the pillboxes.
The first he knocked out himself while covered by his men's protecting
fire; the other 2 were silenced by 1 of his companions and a bazooka team
which he had called up. He suffered a painful wound in the right arm during
the action. After his entire platoon had joined him, he pushed ahead through
mortar fire and encircling flames. Blocked from the only escape route by
an enemy machinegun placed at a street corner, he entered a nearby building
with his men to explore possible means of reducing the emplacement. In
1 room he found civilians huddled together, in another, a small window
placed high in the wall and reached by a ladder. Because of the relative
positions of the window, ladder, and enemy emplacement, he decided that
he, being left-handed, could better hurl a grenade than 1 of his men who
had made an unsuccessful attempt. Grasping an armed grenade, he started
up the ladder. His wounded right arm weakened, and, as he tried to steady
himself, the grenade fell to the floor. In the 5 seconds before the grenade
would explode, he dropped down, recovered the grenade and looked for a
place to dispose of it safely. Finding no way to get rid of the grenade
without exposing his own men or the civilians to injury or death, he turned
to the wall, held it close to his body and bent over it as it exploded.
2d Lt. Viale died in a few minutes, but his heroic act saved the lives
of others.
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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