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VALOR

THE SILVER STAR

FOR GALLANTRY IN ACTION

 

Pfc. William K. Kolln, Company A ". . volunteered to deliver the message . advanced 4000 yards across open ground wounded in the neck . . disregarding servere pain advanced 100 yards to deliver the message . ."

S/Sgt. Robin B. Brown, Company B ". . armed with only a pistol and hand grenade, he boldly advanced in the face of withering fire to within five yards of the enemy position . . inflicting an unknown number of casualties . ."

Sgt. Melvin G. Woldstadt, Company B " . . left the safety of his building to contact several Platoon strongpoints . . exposed himself to fire to drag four wounded men from the basement . . exposed himself a third time to place bazooka fire . ."

Pfc. Clifford E. Corkren, Company B ". . with utter disregard for his own safety, he boldly stood up in the face of the enemy and fired his automatic weapon from his hip, killing two and wounding several others . ."

Pfc. Aloysious T. Noud, Company B (P) ". . realizing the hopelessness of their situation he voluntarily remained in his position to engage the enemy while his comrade returned to the crest of the hill for help . ."

Pfc. Elzie L. Crane, Company B ". . knocked to the ground when struck by enemy fire, again assumed his exposed position, fearlessly engaging the enemy . ."

T/Sgt. Walter Young, Company C (P) ". . deemed it advisable to notify his Company Commander of their precarious position . . crossed sixty five yards of open terrain through a hail of enemy fire despite his wounds, he crawled approximately fifty yards further

Capt. Terrance A. Vangen, Company E ". . aggressively leading his men in the attack, and . . exposing himself to extreme enemy artillery and sniper fire . . administered first aid to the wounded tended his own wounds and continued to lead his Company

1st Lt. Williarn B. Logan. Company E ". . in order to cover their advance . . then exposed himself to enemy fire to place effective fire on the embrasures . . rushed forward and was seriously wounded . ."

2nd Lt. Lloyd J. Svoboda, Company E ". . and skillfully maneuvered them to a position thirty yards from the pillbox . . despite his painful head wound informed the squad leader to hold the ground gained . ."

Pfc. William M. Knupp, Company E ". . volunteered to run the gauntlet of the heavy enemy fire to inform his Company Commander of the situation . . braved the enemy fire three times by crossing three hundred yards of open terrain to accomplish his mission . ."

Pfc. Reinhold H. Wallash, Company E ". . approached the enemy pillboxes and disregarding his personal danger, speaking in German, demanded the enemy to surrender through his efforts the objective was taken . ."

Pfc. Philip Dagen, Company E ". . discovering that his Platoon Leader was wounded, crawled to him and administered first aid . . guided the blind and helpless officer his actions saved the life of his Platoon Leader . ."

Pfc. Vincent F. Lamberto, Company F ". . charged the enemy pillbox and thrust his BAR into the embrasure . . fired inside the pillbox, killing two of the enemy, capturing two, and took the pillbox single-handed . ."

Capt. Robert S. Ferrari, Company G ". . stepping on a concealed mine, was seriously wounded. but ordered his men not to come to his aid, lest they too be wounded . . despite painful wounds, crawled to safety . ."

2nd Lt. Robert K. Gerometta, Company G ". . continuously exposing himself to enemy fire in order to locate the opposing gun positions and accurately directing the fire of his platoon upon them was directly responsible for the ultimate winning of the objective . ."

Pfc. Earl E. McClary, Company G ". . seized a rocket launcher from a fallen comrade and, although exposed to intense enemy fire, fired rockets into the enemy position . . silencing it . . organized the remnants of his squad and led them in the attack on the town . ."

Pfc. James E. Cunningham, Company G ". . seized a flame thrower nearby, having full knowledge that it was not functioning properly and succeeded in bluffing the occupants to surrender . ."

Lt. Col. James C. Leighton, Hqrs. 3rd Bn. ". . proceeded to probe for mines with his trench knife . . in order to clear a path for litter bearers . . crossing the 1500 yards of partially exposed terrain . . telephoned for aid returning to the minefield he supervised and assisted in the evacuation . ."

Pfc. Robert A. Ward, Company I ". . advanced boldly in the face of withering small arms fire to within firing distance of the pillbox, and fired round after round that the enemy surrendered . ."

1st Lt. Leo F. Vokaty, Company K ". . when an enemy machine gun nest was encountered, he crawled within five yards of the enemy position and killed the entire crew with his rifle . ."

1st Lt. Herbert V. Cummings, Company K ". . intentionally exposed himself to draw the enemy fire away from his men while they withdrew . . crawled a distance of one hundred yards under enemy fire and dragged the wounded soldier back to safety . ."

Sgt. Otis H. Pate, Company K ". . immediately assumed command and ably directed the defense of their position . . led them out of the house, now ablaze, and through withering fire to a new position . ."

Pfc. Joseph R. Laguna, Company K ". . despite heavy automatic and sniper fire from the enemy position . . completed his mission of locating and directing the lost section to the main body . ."

Pvt. Thomas Cooper, Company K ". . on another occasion, in an attack with two other soldiers on an enemy pillbox, armed with his BAR . . he fiercely charged it . . firing into the open embrasure with deadly accuracy . ."

Pfc. Alex J. Sklader, Company K ". . on his own initiative, crossed an open area deliberately exposing himself in order to draw fire so that the enemy positions could be located . ."

Capt. Donald C. Gautier, Company L ". . without hesitation entered the minefield to give what aid he could . . despite the fact that he received injuries from the explosion himself applied first aid . ."

1st Lt. Marvin R. Barnett, Company L ". . despite a second wound he personally supervised the clearing of the enemy positions, thereby gaining a foothold within the town . ."

2nd Lt. Jack M. Muse, Company L ". . despite the intense fire . . continuously exposed himself in order to execute the safe withdrawal of his men . . refused medical attention until the enlisted man had medical attention first . ."

T/Sgt. Leo R. Lawrence, Company L ". . he probed for mines with make-shift equipment and assisted in clearing a path so that the wounded men could be evacuated . . though suffering from severe concussion and shock continued to assist . ."

Sgt. Harry A. Whyte, Company L ". . although suffering intense pain, he gave his squad important fire data, appointed a new commander and directed the last of his men safely into position . ."

Pfc. William A. Elliott, Company L (P) ". . he pleaded with his comrades not to enter the dangerous area to aid him, in order to prevent further casualties informed his Company Commander of the vital information the patrol had gained . ."

Pfc. Edward J. Sullivan, Company L ". . despite the heavy enemy artillery, mortar and automatic fire which was concentrated on his position and wounded him . . determinedly remained at his post . . until relieved three hours later . ."

Capt. Earle K. Johnson, Company M ". . probed a path to the wounded men administered first aid for a period of more than an hour . . personally cleared the area around each man . . assisted in the evacuation . ."

S/Sgt. John W. Lougen, Company M ". . went approximately two hundred yards forward in the face of this enemy fire to reconnoiter positions for his machine gun sections . . quickly and expertly directed their fire on the enemy targets . ."

Tec 5 Harold Katz, Med. Det. (P) ". . although being fired at constantly, he moved to the side of another wounded soldier . . despite his wounds and the fact that he was unable to move his legs, succeeded in pushing the wounded comrade into a shallow hole . ."

Pfc. Lloyd N. Spindell, Med. Det. ". . the wounded man again called for medical aid whereupon Pvt. Spindell again made the hazardous trip under fire . . on another occasion . . used his knowledge of German to persuade the occupants of two pillboxes to surrender . ."

Pfc. Lloyd D. Long, Med. Det. ". . labored tirelessly for five hours that the needs of the wounded might be attended . . on one occasion he dragged and carried a wounded comrade over a hill and across a stream to safety . . under continuous observation of an enemy tank . ."

Tec 4 Wyman P. Oates, Med. Det. ". . while rendering first aid, he was repeatedly fired at by the enemy . . his helmet was knocked off . . continued to administer aid until wounded . . one hour later . ."

Pfc. Charles Kiupelis, Med. Det. ". . moved the wounded soldier to a safer position and while so doing, was wounded . . despite the wound he continued to treat his comrade . ."

(P) Awarded Posthumously


BRONZE STAR

FOR HEROIC ACHIEVEMENT

 

Hq Co

Tec 4 Alvin L.Meckley
Cpl. Thomas L. Stoner
Cpl. Ernest P. Sable

Company A

T/Sgt. George H. Irvine
Pfc. James E. Rey
Pvt. Billie W. Powell

Company B

2nd Lt. Marice L. Horski
S/Sgt. Guido P. Rech
Sgt. James S. Showers
Pfc. Alexander S. Vexler

Company C

1st Lt. Henry D. Mitman
T/Sgt. Charles H. Harris
S/Sgt. Lyle F. Fraser
S/Sgt. Keith R. Knutson
Pfc. Herbert W. Wortley
Pfc. Ronald DeRoss
Pfc. Robert E. Quinn
Pfc. Carl M. Dennis
Pfc. Howard G. Snyder
Pfc. William F. Bryant

Company D

Tec 5 James F. Neely

Hq Co 2nd Bn

S/Sgt. William M. McDonald
S/Sgt. Edward H. Reeves
Pfc. Robert F. LeClaire

Company E

Capt. Robert E. Blum
S/Sgt. Lazaro M. Lupian
Pfc. George Adam

Company F

2nd Lt. Herbert E. Hathaway
S/Sgt. John F. Mongillo
S/Sgt. Louis H. Pesnicak
Sgt. Toney R. Herman
Sgt. Chester J. Filipczak
Sgt. James DeMontigney
Pfc. Arthur H. Fine
Pfc. Gabriel B. Schartz
Pfc. Robert C. Blake
Pfc. Eli T. Hamilton
Pfc. James C. Kennedy
Pfc. Carl B. Nall

Company G

1st Lt. Richard F. Pollard
2nd Lt. Antony J.Pressimone
T/Sgt. Robert E. Kayanaugh
T/Sgt. Walter F. Schuetz
S/Sgt. Tod Browning
S/Sgt. Leon H. Deen
Sgt. Leo L. Romanauskas
Sgt. Arthur R. Abbey

(Company G - continuing)

Pfc. Fernando Angellelli
Pfc. Bruce G. Fielding
Pfc. Walter H. Toblesky
Pfc. Anthony Rota
Pfc. James V. Norwood

 

Company H

S/Sgt. Howard H. Scherer
Sgt. Lawrence G. Zimmerrnan
Tec 4 Michael R. Esposito
Pfc. Edward H. Baumgardner
Pfc. Arthur L. Tolan

Company I

S/Sgt. Robert C. Lomnitzer
S/Sgt. Donald J. Manley

Company K

S/Sgt. John V. McClellan
S/Sgt. Vernon G. Henshaw
S/Sgt. Seth D. McClellan
S/Sgt. George M. Rago
                Awarded Bronze
                Oak Leaf Cluster
Pfc. Florentino T. Martinez
Pfc. Dwight W. Rewerts

Company L

1st Lt. Marvin R. Barnett
2nd Lt. Blinn B. Rush
S/Sgt. James Stenhouse
Sgt. Abrahani H Mendell
Tec 5 Thomas B. Brown, Jr.
Pfc. Gale R. Darland
Pfc. William A. Elliott

Company M

1st Lt. Charles R. Elliott Jr.
T/Sgt. Grover M. Jeffries
S/Sgt. Thomas F. Erhard
Sgt. Daniel F. Westcott
Pfc. James M. Williams
Pfc. Manuel Aragon

Cannon Company

1st Lt. William E. Hinkley
Cpl. Arnold A. Cohen
Pfc. Royal D. Rothe

Medical Detachment

Tec 4 James C. Cox Jr.
Tec 4 Kenneth A Potter
Tec 4 Duane G. Hofmeister
Tec 5 Harry Alexander
Tec 5 Oliver F. French
Pfc. Bernard F. LaBerge
Pfc. Melvin C. Armstrong
Pfc. Early D. Bebout
Pfc. Jean Goyhenetsche
Pfc. Nicholas A. Lioi
Pfc. Patrick J. O'Neill

 


BRONZE STAR

FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE

 

Lt. Col. Peter W. Garland
Lt. Col. George C. Clowes
Lt. Col. Simon R. Sinnreich
Lt. Col. James C. Leighton
Maj. Edwin A. Trowbridge
Maj. Daniel B. Porter
Maj. Gerard E. Noble
Capt. Robert H. Briner
Capt. Max H. Reed
Capt. Donald F. Robblee
Capt. Archie F. Hay
Capt. Robert H. Clagett
Capt. Frederick j. Cramer
Capt. Vernon Massey
Capt. Donald C. Gautier
Capt. Earle K. Johnson
Capt. Leonard A. Pierce, Jr.
Capt. Henry O. Stone
Capt. Ardin A. Sallquist
1st Lt. Bernard Friedman
1st Lt. Paul A. Gooch
1st Lt. John A. Kellstrom
1st Lt. Victor E. Lund
1st Lt. Milton L. Sunde
1st Lt. Chestine W. Miller
1st Lt. Fremont D. Fountain
2nd Lt. Charles V. Wright, Jr.
2nd Lt. Edward J. Fitzgerald
WOJG. Chester H. Andrew
M/Sgt. Allen V. Eikner
M/Sgt. Harlon M. Gardner
1st Sgt Henry K. Bolanowski
1st Sgt. Vincent J. Diglio
S/Sgt. Lawrence F. Erison
S/Sgt. Robert C. Buehner
S/Sgt. Ernest R. Yanke
Sgt. James C. Davis
Sgt. James E. Beaton
Tec 4 Floyd W. Reeves
Tec 5 Ashby E. Richmond
Tec 5 Joseph R. Borders
Pfc. Austin E. Stokes
Pfc. Leslie H. Grotheer
Pfc. Ira D. Byrd, Jr.

THE SOLDIERS MEDAL

FOR HEROISM NOT INVOLVING ACTUAL CONFLICT WITH THE ENEMY

Company F

Pvt. James W. Price

Company H

2nd Lt. Harold W. Rudolph
Pfc. Clyde H. Obernolte

Service Company

Tec 4 Leonard Schermerhorn
Pfc. Edward P. Baranowski


THE CROIX DE GUERRE
1st Lt. Theodore Andrewski
S/Sgt. Max. D. Moonitz


All awards and decorations as of 6 June 1945.

 


Col. Clifford J. Mathews

Col. Meade J. Dugas

Former Commanders

Col. O. P. Bragan

 


 

76th Commander

Maj. Gen. William R. Schmidt

The 385th Infantry Regiment is a part of the 76th Infantry Division which also includes the 304th and 417th Regiments, the 76th Division Artillery, and many other special units.

 




 

THE FALLEN

In the dooryard fronting an old farm-house near the whitewash'd palings,
Stand the lilac-bush, tall-growing with heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
With many a pointed blossom rising delicate, with the perfume strong I love
With every leaf a miracle -- and from this bush in the dooryard,
With delicate -- color'd blossom s and heart shaped leaves of rich green,
A spring with its flower I break.

Nor for you, for on alone,
Blossoms and branches green to coffins all I bring,
For fresh as the morning, thus would I chant a song for you O sane and sacred death.
All over bouquets of roses,
O death , I cover you over with roses and early lilies,
But mostly and now the lilac that blooms the first,
Copious I break, I break the springs from the bushes,
With loaded arms I come, pouring for you,
For you and the coffins of all of you O death.

WALT WHITMAN


THE END

 


 


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