"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above
and beyond the call of duty as Leader of a Machine-Gun Squad serving
with Company C, First Battalion, First Marines, First Marine Division,
in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryūkyū Chain
on 14 May 1945. Alert and aggressive during a determined assault
against a strongly fortified Japanese Hill position, Corporal Hauge
boldly took the initiative when his company's left flank was pinned down
under a heavy machine-gun and mortar
barrage with resultant severe casualties and, quickly locating the two
machine guns which were delivering the uninterrupted stream of enfilade
fire, ordered his squad to maintain a covering barrage as he rushed
across an exposed area toward the furiously blazing enemy weapons. Although painfully wounded as he charged the first machine-gun, he
launched a vigorous single-handed grenade
attack, destroyed the entire hostile gun position and moved
relentlessly forward toward the other emplacement despite his wounds and
the increasingly heavy Japanese fire. Undaunted by the savage
opposition, he again hurled his deadly grenades with unerring aim and
succeeded in demolishing the second enemy gun before he fell under the
slashing fury of Japanese sniper fire. By his ready grasp of the
critical situation and his heroic one-man assault tactics, Corporal
Hauge had eliminated two strategically placed enemy weapons, thereby
releasing the besieged troops from an overwhelming volume of hostile
fire and enabling his company to advance. His indomitable fighting
spirit and decisive valor in the face of almost certain death reflect
the highest credit upon Corporal Hauge and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country."
From Cpl. Hauge's Medal of Honor citation, awarded on June 14, 1946.
May he be in peace,
Brian
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