"He voluntarily attacked a formidable enemy strong point in Petit-Coo,
Belgium, on 23 December 1944, when his company was pinned down by
extremely heavy automatic and small-arms fire coming from a house 200
yards to the front. Mortar and tank artillery
shells pounded the unit, when S/Sgt. Bolden and a comrade, on their own
initiative, moved forward into a hail of bullets to eliminate the
ever-increasing fire from the German position. Crawling ahead to close
with what they knew was a powerfully armed, vastly superior force, the
pair reached the house and took up assault positions, S/Sgt. Bolden
under a window, his comrade across the street where he could deliver
covering fire. In rapid succession, S/Sgt. Bolden hurled a fragmentation grenade and a white phosphorus
grenade into the building; and then, fully realizing that he faced
tremendous odds, rushed to the door, threw it open and fired into 35 SS
troopers who were trying to reorganize themselves after the havoc
wrought by the grenades. Twenty Germans died under fire of his
submachinegun before he was struck in the shoulder, chest, and stomach
by part of a burst which killed his comrade across the street. He
withdrew from the house, waiting for the surviving Germans to come out
and surrender. When none appeared in the doorway, he summoned his ebbing
strength, overcame the extreme pain he suffered and boldly walked back
into the house, firing as he went. He had killed the remaining 15 enemy
soldiers when his ammunition ran out. S/Sgt. Bolden's heroic advance
against great odds, his fearless assault, and his magnificent display of
courage in reentering the building where he had been severely wounded
cleared the path for his company and insured the success of its mission."
From S/Sgt. Paul L. Bolden's Medal of Honor citation, awarded on August 30, 1945.
Thank you for your service and may you be at peace,
Brian
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