_Bart, Frank J., Private_, Co. C, 9th Infantry, 2nd Division, Newark,
N. J.—Médéah Farm, France, Oct. 3, 1918. Private Bart, being on duty
as a company runner, when the advance was held up by machine-gun fire
voluntarily picked up an automatic rifle, ran out ahead of the line,
and silenced a hostile machine-gun nest, killing the German gunners.
The advance then continued, and, when it was again hindered shortly
afterward by another machine-gun nest, this courageous soldier repeated
his bold exploit by putting the second machine gun out of action.
* * * * *
_Cukela, Louis, First Lieutenant_, 5th Regiment Marines, 2nd Division,
Minneapolis, Minn.—Villers-Cotterets, France, July 18, 1918. When his
company, advancing through a wood, met with strong resistance from
an enemy strong point, Lieutenant Cukela (then Sergeant) crawled out
from the flank and made his way toward the German lines in the face of
heavy fire, disregarding the warnings of his comrades. He succeeded in
getting behind the enemy position and rushed a machine-gun emplacement,
killing or driving off the crew with his bayonet. With German hand
grenades he then bombed out the remaining portion of the strong point,
capturing four men and two damaged machine guns.
* * * * *
_Hoffman, Charles F., Gunnery Sergeant_, 5th Regiment Marines, Second
Division, Brooklyn, N. Y.—Château-Thierry, France, June 6, 1918.
Immediately after the company to which he belonged had reached its
objective on Hill 142, several hostile counter-attacks were launched
against the line before the new position had been consolidated.
Sergeant Hoffman was attempting to organize a position on the north
slope of the hill when he saw twelve of the enemy, armed with five
light machine guns, crawling toward his group. Giving the alarm,
he rushed the hostile detachment, bayoneted the two leaders, and
forced the others to flee, abandoning their guns. His quick action,
initiative, and courage drove the enemy from a position from which
they could have swept the hill with machine-gun fire and forced the
withdrawal of our troops.
* * * * *
_Kocak, Matej, Sergeant_, Co. C, 5th Regiment Marines, 2nd Division,
Albany, N. Y.—Soissons, France, July 18, 1918. When the advance of his
battalion was checked by a hidden machine-gun nest he went forward
alone, unprotected by covering fire from his own men, and worked in
between the German position in the face of fire from an enemy covering
detachment. Locating the machine-gun nest, he rushed it, and with his
bayonet drove off the crew. Shortly after this he organized twenty-five
French colonial soldiers who had become separated from their company,
and led them in attacking another machine-gun nest, which was also put
out of action.
[Illustration: American Troops on Parade in Paris on July 4, 1919
Immediately after the ceremonies incident to the naming of the “Avenue
du President Wilson.”]
* * * * *
_Kelly, John Joseph, Private_, 6th Regiment Marines, 2nd Division,
Chicago, Ill.—Blanc Mont Ridge, France, Oct. 3, 1918. Private Kelly ran
through our own barrage 100 yards in advance of the front line, and
attacked an enemy machine-gun nest, killing the gunner with a grenade,
shooting another member of the crew with his pistol, and returned
through the barrage with eight prisoners.
* * * * *
_Van Iersal, Louis, Sergeant_, Co. M, 9th Infantry, 2nd Division,
Newark, N. Y.—Mouzon, France, Nov. 9, 1918. While a member of the
reconnoissance patrol sent out at night to ascertain the condition of a
damaged bridge, Sergeant Van Iersal volunteered to lead a party across
the bridge in the face of heavy machine-gun and rifle fire from a range
of only 75 yards. Crawling alone along the débris of the ruined bridge,
he came upon a trap, which gave away and precipitated him into the
water. In spite of the swift current, he succeeded in swimming across
the stream, and found a lodging place among the timbers on the opposite
bank. Disregarding the enemy fire, he made a careful investigation of
the hostile position by which the bridge was defended and then returned
to the other bank of the river, reporting this valuable information to
the battalion commander.
* * * * *
_Pruitt, John H., Corporal_, 78th Co., 6th Regiment of Marines, 2nd
Division, Phoenix, Ariz.—Blanc Mont Ridge, France, Oct. 3, 1918.
Corporal Pruitt single-handed attacked two machine guns, capturing them
and killing two of the enemy. He then captured forty prisoners in a
dugout near by. This gallant soldier was killed soon afterward by shell
fire while he was sniping at the enemy.