World War II Honoree
World War II Veteran
Melvin E. Biddle
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Hometown
Anderson, Indiana
Honored By
Ralph Bozorth
ENTERED SERVICE AT ANDERSON, INDIANA. PRIVATE FIRST CLASS IN THE U.S. ARMY. COMPANY B, 517TH PARACHUTE INFANTRY REGIMENT. AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR FOR ACTION NEAR SOY, BELGIUM ON DECEMBER 24, 1944; GO 95, OCTOBER 30, 1945. CITATION READS, 'HE DISPLAYED CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY IN ACTION AGAINST THE ENEMY NEAR SOY, BELGIUM ON DECEMBER 23RD AND 24TH IN 1944. SERVED AS LEAD SCOUT DURING AN ATTACK TO RELIEVE THE ENEMY. ENCIRCLED TOWN OF HOTTON. HE AGGRESSIVELY PENETRATED A DENSELY WOODED AREA AND ADVANCED 400 YARDS UNTIL HE CAME WITHIN RANGE OF INTENSE ENEMY RIFLE FIRE AND WITHIN 20 YARDS OF ENEMY POSITIONS. HE KILLED THREE SNIPERS WITH UNERRING MARKSMANSHIP. COURAGEOUSLY CONTINUED HIS ADVANCE AN ADDITIONAL 200 YARDS. HE DISCOVERED A HOSTILE MACHINE GUN POSITION AND DISPATCHED ITS TWO OCCUPANTS. HE THEN LOCATED THE APPROXIMATE POSITION OF A WELL CONCEALED ENEMY MACHINE GUN NEST. HE CRAWLED FORWARD AND THREW HAND GRENADES WHICH KILLED TWO GERMANS AND FATALLY WOUNDED A THIRD. AFTER SIGNALING HIS COMPANY TO ADVANCE HE ENTERED A DETERMINED LINE OF ENEMY DEFENSE COOLLY AND DELIBERATELY SHIFTED HIS POSITION AND SHOT THREE MORE ENEMY SOLDIERS. UNDAUNTED BY ENEMY FIRE HE CRAWLED WITHIN 20 YARDS OF A MACHINE GUN NEST AND TOSSED HIS LAST HAND GRENADE INTO THE POSITION AND AFTER THE EXPLOSION HE CHARGED THE EMPLACEMENT WHILE FIRING HIS RIFLE. WHEN NIGHT FELL HE SCOUTED ENEMY POSITIONS ALONE FOR SEVERAL HOURS AND RETURNED WITH VALUABLE INFORMATION WHICH ENABLED OUR ATTACKING INFANTRY AND ARMOR TO KNOCK OUT TWO ENEMY TANKS. AT DAYBREAK, HE AGAIN LED THE ADVANCE AND WHEN FLANKING ELEMENTS WERE PINNED DOWN BY ENEMY FIRE WITHOUT HESITATION MADE HIS WAY TOWARD A HOSTILE MACHINE GUN POSITION AND FROM A DISTANCE OF 50 YARDS KILLED THE CREW AND TWO SUPPORTING RIFLEMEN. THE REMAINDER OF THE ENEMY FINDING THEMSELVES WITHOUT AUTOMATIC WEAPON SUPPORT FLED PANIC STRICKEN. HIS INTREPID COURAGE AND SUPERB DARING DURING HIS 20-HOUR ACTION ENABLED HIS BATTALION TO BREAK THE ENEMY GRASP ON HOTTON WITH A MINIMUM OF CASUALTIES'.