"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and
beyond the call of duty on 28 October 1944, near St. Die, France. When
his company was stopped in its effort to drive through the Mortagne
Forest to reopen the supply line to the isolated third battalion, S/Sgt.
Adams braved the concentrated fire of machine guns
in a lone assault on a force of German troops. Although his company had
progressed less than 10 yards and had lost 3 killed and 6 wounded,
S/Sgt. Adams charged forward dodging from tree to tree firing a borrowed
BAR
from the hip. Despite intense machine gun fire which the enemy directed
at him and rifle grenades which struck the trees over his head showering
him with broken twigs and branches, S/Sgt. Adams made his way to within
10 yards of the closest machine gun and killed the gunner with a hand grenade.
An enemy soldier threw hand grenades at him from a position only 10
yards distant; however, S/Sgt. Adams dispatched him with a single burst
of BAR fire. Charging into the vortex of the enemy fire, he killed
another machine gunner at 15 yards range with a hand grenade and forced
the surrender of 2 supporting infantrymen. Although the remainder of the
German group concentrated the full force of its automatic weapons fire
in a desperate effort to knock him out, he proceeded through the woods
to find and exterminate 5 more of the enemy. Finally, when the third
German machine gun opened up on him at a range of 20 yards, S/Sgt. Adams
killed the gunner with BAR fire. In the course of the action, he
personally killed 9 Germans, eliminated 3 enemy machine guns, vanquished a
specialized force which was armed with automatic weapons and grenade launchers, cleared the woods of hostile elements, and reopened the severed supply lines to the assault companies of his battalion."
From Staff Sergeant Lucian Adams' official Medal of Honor citation, awarded on March 29, 1945.
Thank you for your service and may you be at peace,
Brian
Oral history by Adams, himself.
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