World War II Honoree

Raymond H. Cooley

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Dunlap, Tennessee

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

WAS AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR. STAFF SERGEANT, U.S. ARMY, COMPANY B, 27TH INFANTRY, 25TH INFANTRY DIVISION. PLACE AND DATE: NEAR LUMBOY, LUZON, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, FEBRUARY 24, 1945. ENTERED SERVICE AT RICHARD CITY, TENNESSEE. CITATION: 'WAS A PLATOON GUIDE IN AN ASSAULT ON A CAMOUFLAGED ENTRENCHMENT DEFENDED BY MACHINE GUNS, RIFLES AND MORTARS. WHEN HIS MEN WERE PINNED DOWN BY 2 ENEMY MACHINE GUNS, HE VOLUNTARILY ADVANCED UNDER HEAVY FIRE TO WITHIN 20 YARDS OF 1 OF THE GUNS AND ATTACKED IT WITH A HAND GRENADE. THE ENEMY HOWEVER THREW THE GRENADE BACK AT HIM BEFORE IT COULD EXPLODE. ARMING A SECOND GRENADE, HE HELD IT FOR SEVERAL SECONDS OF THE SAFE PERIOD AND THEN HURLED IT INTO THE ENEMY POSITION, WHERE IT EXPLODED INSTANTANEOUSLY; DESTROYED THE GUN AND CREW. THEN MOVED TOWARD THE REMAINING GUN, THROWING GRENADES INTO ENEMY FOXHOLES AS HE ADVANCED. INSPIRED BY HIS ACTIONS, 1 SQUAD OF PLATOON JOINED HIM. AFTER HE HAD ARMED ANOTHER GRENADE AND WAS PREPARING TO THROW IT INTO THE SECOND MACHINE GUN POSITION, 6 ENEMY SOLDIERS RUSHED AT HIM. KNOWING HE COULD NOT DISPOSE OF THE ARMED GRENADE WITHOUT INJURING HIS COMRADES, BECAUSE OF THE INTERMINGLING IN CLOSE COMBAT OF THE MEN OF HIS PLATOON AND THE ENEMY IN THE MELEE WHICH ENSUED, HE DELIBERATELY COVERED THE GRENADE WITH HIS BODY AND WAS SEVERELY WOUNDED AS IT EXPLODED. BY HIS HEROIC ACTIONS NOT ONLY SILENCED A MACHINE GUN AND SO INSPIRED HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS THAT THEY PRESSED THE ATTACK AND DESTROYED THE REMAINING ENEMY EMPLACEMENTS BUT ALSO, IN COMPLETE DISREGARD OF HIS OWN SAFETY ACCEPTED CERTAIN INJURY AND POSSIBLE LOSS OF LIFE TO AVOID WOUNDING HIS COMRADES.'