World War II Honoree

Raymond O. Beaudoin

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Holyoke, Massachusetts

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

ENTERED SERVICE AT HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS. 1ST LIEUTENANT, U.S. ARMY, COMPANY F, 119TH INFANTRY, 30TH INFANTRY DIVISION. HE WAS POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR FOR ACTIONS TAKEN AT HAMELN, GERMANY, APRIL 6, 1945. CITATION: 'HE WAS LEADING THE 2ND PLATOON OF COMPANY F OVER FLAT, OPEN TERRAIN TO HAMELN, GERMANY, WHEN THE ENEMY WENT INTO ACTION WITH MACHINE GUNS AND AUTOMATIC WEAPONS, LAYING DOWN A DEVASTATING CURTAIN OF FIRE WHICH PINNED HIS UNIT TO THE GROUND. BY ROTATING MEN IN FIRING POSITIONS HE MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR HIS ENTIRE PLATOON TO DIG IN, DEFYING ALL THE WHILE THE MURDEROUS ENEMY FIRE TO ENCOURAGE HIS MEN AND TO DISTRIBUTE AMMUNITION. HE THEN DUG IN HIMSELF AT THE MOST ADVANCED POSITION, WHERE HE KEPT UP A STEADY FIRE, KILLING 6 HOSTILE SOLDIERS, AND DIRECTING HIS MEN IN INFLICTING HEAVY CASUALTIES ON THE NUMERICALLY SUPERIOR OPPOSING FORCE. DESPITE THESE DEFENSIVE MEASURES, HOWEVER, THE POSITION OF THE PLATOON BECAME MORE PRECARIOUS, FOR THE ENEMY HAD BROUGHT UP STRONG REINFORCEMENTS AND WAS PREPARING A COUNTERATTACK. THREE MEN, SENT BACK AT INTERVALS TO OBTAIN AMMUNITION AND REINFORCEMENTS, WERE KILLED BY SNIPER FIRE. TO RELIEVE HIS COMMAND FROM THE DESPERATE SITUATION, HE DECIDED TO MAKE AN L-MAN ATTACK ON THE MOST DAMAGING ENEMY SNIPER NEST 90 YARDS TO THE RIGHT FLANK, AND THEREBY DIVERT ATTENTION FROM THE RUNNER WHO WOULD ATTEMPT TO PIERCE THE ENEMY'S BARRIER OF BULLETS AND SECURE HELP. CRAWLING OVER COMPLETELY EXPOSED GROUND, HE RELENTLESSLY ADVANCED, UNDETERRED BY 8 ROUNDS OF BAZOOKA FIRE, WHICH THREW MUD AND STONES OVER HIM, OR BY RIFLE FIRE WHICH RIPPED HIS UNIFORM. TEN YARDS FROM THE ENEMY POSITION HE STOOD UP AND CHARGED. AT POINT-BLANK RANGE HE SHOT AND KILLED 2 OCCUPANTS OF THE NEST; A THIRD, WHO TRIED TO BAYONET HIM, HE OVERPOWERED AND KILLED WITH THE BUTT OF HIS CARBINE; AND THE FOURTH ADVERSARY WAS CUT DOWN BY THE PLATOON'S RIFLE FIRE AS HE ATTEMPTED TO FLEE. HE CONTINUED HIS ATTACK BY RUNNING TOWARD A DUGOUT, BUT THERE HE WAS STRUCK AND KILLED BY A BURST FROM A MACHINE GUN. BY HIS INTREPIDITY, GREAT FIGHTING SKILL, AND SUPREME DEVOTION TO HIS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WELL-BEING OF HIS PLATOON, 1ST LIEUTENANT BEAUDOIN SINGLE-HANDEDLY ACCOMPLISHED A MISSION THAT ENABLED A MESSENGER TO SECURE HELP WHICH SAVED THE STRICKEN UNIT AND MADE POSSIBLE THE DECISIVE DEFEAT OF THE GERMAN FORCES.'