"He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. Braving machine gun, machine pistol,
and rifle fire, he moved fearlessly and calmly from man to man along
his 40-yard squad front, encouraging each to hold against the
overwhelming assault of a fanatical foe surging up the hillside. Knocked
to the ground by a burst from an enemy automatic weapon, he immediately
jumped to his feet, and ignoring his grave wounds, fired his sub-machine
gun at the enemy that was now upon them, killing 5 and wounding many
others before his ammunition was spent. Virtually surrounded by a
frenzied foe and all of his squad now casualties, he elected to fight
alone, using his empty sub-machine gun
as a bludgeon against his assailants. Spotting 1 of the enemy about to
kill a wounded comrade, he felled the German with a blow of his weapon.
Seeing friendly reinforcements running up the hill, he continued
furiously to wield his empty gun against the foe in a new attack, and it
was thus that he made the supreme sacrifice. Sgt. Messerschmidt's
sustained heroism in hand-to-hand combat with superior enemy forces was
in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service."
From Sgt. Messerschmidt's Medal of Honor citation, awarded on July 17, 1946.
May you be at peace,
Brian
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