World War II Honoree

Peter J. Dalessondro

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Watervliet, New York

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

ENTERED SERVICE AT WATERVLIET, NEW YORK. TECHNICAL SERGEANT, U.S. ARMY, COMPANY E, 39TH INFANTRY, 9TH INFANTRY DIVISION. AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR FOR ACTION NEAR KALTERHERBERG, GERMANY ON DECEMBER 22, 1944. CITATION READS, HE WAS WITH THE 1ST PLATOON HOLDING AN IMPORTANT ROAD JUNCTION ON HIGH GROUND NEAR KALTERHERBERG, GERMANY, ON DECEMBER 22, 1944. IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS, THE ENEMY AFTER LAYING DOWN AN INTENSE ARTILLERY AND MORTAR BARRAGE, FOLLOWED THROUGH WITH AN ALL-OUT ATTACK THAT THREATENED TO OVERWHELM THE POSITION. TECHNICAL SERGEANT DALESSONDRO, SEEING THAT HIS MEN WERE BECOMING DISORGANIZED, BRAVED THE INTENSE FIRE TO MOVE AMONG THEM WITH WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT. ADVANCING TO A FULLY EXPOSED OBSERVATION POST, HE ADJUSTED MORTAR FIRE UPON THE ATTACKERS, MEANWHILE FIRING UPON THEM WITH HIS RIFLE AND ENCOURAGING HIS MEN IN HALTING AND REPULSING THE ATTACK. LATER IN THE DAY THE ENEMY LAUNCHED A SECOND DETERMINED ATTACK. ONCE AGAIN, TECHNICAL SERGEANT DALESSONDRO, IN THE FACE OF IMMINENT DEATH, RUSHED TO HIS FORWARD POSITION AND IMMEDIATELY CALLED FOR MORTAR FIRE. AFTER EXHAUSTING HIS RIFLE AMMUNITION, HE CRAWLED 30 YARDS OVER EXPOSED GROUND TO SECURE A LIGHT MACHINE-GUN, RETURNED TO HIS POSITION AND FIRED UPON THE ENEMY AT ALMOST POINTBLANK RANGE UNTIL THE GUN JAMMED. HE MANAGED TO GET THE GUN TO FIRE ONE MORE BURST, WHICH USED UP HIS LAST ROUND, BUT WITH THESE BULLETS HE KILLED FOUR GERMAN SOLDIERS WHO WERE ON THE VERGE OF MURDERING AN AID MAN AND TWO WOUNDED SOLDIERS IN A NEARBY FOXHOLE. WHEN THE ENEMY HAD ALMOST SURROUNDED HIM, HE REMAINED ALONE, STEADFASTLY FACING ALMOST CERTAIN DEATH OR CAPTURE, HURLING GRENADES AND CALLING FOR MORTAR FIRE CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HIS OUTPOST AS HE COVERED THE WITHDRAWAL OF HIS PLATOON TO A SECOND LINE OF DEFENSE. AS THE GERMAN HORDES SWARMED ABOUT HIM, HE WAS LAST HEARD CALLING FOR A BARRAGE, SAYING, 'OK, MORTARS, LET ME HAVE IT, RIGHT IN THIS POSITION!' THE GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY SHOWN BY TECHNICAL SERGEANT DALESSONDRO AGAINST AN OVERWHELMING ENEMY ATTACK SAVED HIS COMPANY FROM COMPLETE ROUT.