"S/Sgt. Horner and other members of his company were attacking Wurselen,
Germany, against stubborn resistance on 16 November 1944, when
machine gun fire from houses on the edge of the town pinned the attackers
in flat, open terrain 100 yards from their objective. As they lay in
the field, enemy artillery
observers directed fire upon them, causing serious casualties.
Realizing that the machine guns must be eliminated in order to permit the
company to advance from its precarious position, S/Sgt. Horner
voluntarily stood up with his submachine gun and rushed into the teeth of concentrated fire, burdened by a heavy load of ammunition and hand grenades. Just as he reached a position of seeming safety, he was fired on by a
machine gun which had remained silent up until that time. He coolly
wheeled in his fully exposed position while bullets barely missed him
and killed 2 hostile gunners with a single, devastating burst. He turned
to face the fire of the other 2 machine guns, and dodging fire as he
ran, charged the 2 positions 50 yards away. Demoralized by their
inability to hit the intrepid infantryman, the enemy abandoned their
guns and took cover in the cellar of the house they occupied. S/Sgt.
Horner burst into the building, hurled 2 grenades down the cellar
stairs, and called for the Germans to surrender. Four men gave up to
him. By his extraordinary courage, S/Sgt. Horner destroyed 3 enemy
machine gun positions, killed or captured 7 enemy, and cleared the path
for his company's successful assault on Wurselen."
From S/Sgt. Horner's Medal of Honor citation, awarded on October 12, 1945
May you be at peace,
Brian
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