World War II Honoree

Eric G. Gibson

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Chicago, Illinois

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR. TECHNICIAN 5TH GRADE, U.S. ARMY, 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION. PLACE AND DATE: NEAR ISOLA BELLA, ITALY JANUARY 28, 1944. ENTERED SERVICE AT CHICAGO, ILLINOIS SEPTEMBER 11, 1944. CITATION FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY AT RISK OF LIFE ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY. JANUARY 28, 1944, NEAR ISOLA BELLA, ITALY LED A SQUAD OF REPLACEMENTS, DESTROYED FOUR ENEMY POSITIONS, KILLED 5 AND CAPTURED 2 GERMAN SOLDIERS AND SECURED THE LEFT FLANK OF COMPANY DURING AN ATTACK ON A STRONG POINT. PLACING HIMSELF 50 YARDS IN FRONT OF NEW MEN, ADVANCED DOWN A WIDE STREAM DITCH KEEPING PACE WITH THE ADVANCE OF HIS COMPANY. AN ENEMY SOLDIER ALLOWED HIM TO COME WITHIN 20 YARDS OF HIS CONCEALED POSITION AND THEN OPENED FIRE ON HIM WITH A MACHINE PISTOL. DESPITE THE STREAM OF AUTOMATIC FIRE WHICH BARELY MISSED HIM, HE CHARGED THE POSITION, FIRING SUBMACHINE GUN EVERY FEW STEPS. REACHING THE POSITION, FIRED POINTBLANK AT HIS OPPONENT, KILLING HIM. AN ARTILLERY CONCENTRATION FELL IN AND AROUND THE DITCH. CONCUSSION FROM ONE SHELL KNOCKED HIM FLAT. AS HE GOT TO HIS FEET, HE WAS FIRED ON BY 2 SOLDIERS ARMED WITH A MACHINE PISTOL AND A RIFLE FROM A POSITION ONLY 75 YARDS DISTANT. IMMEDIATELY RACED TOWARD THE FOE. HALFWAY TO THE POSITION A MACHINE GUN OPENED FIRE ON HIM. BULLETS CAME WITHIN INCHES OF HIS BODY, YET HE NEVER PAUSED IN HIS FORWARD MOVEMENT. KILLED ONE AND CAPTURED THE OTHER SOLDIER. SHORTLY AFTER, WHEN HE WAS FIRED UPON BY A HEAVY MACHINE GUN 200 YARDS DOWN THE DITCH, HE CRAWLED BACK TO SQUAD AND ORDERED IT TO LAY DOWN A BASE OF FIRE WHILE HE FLANKED THE EMPLACEMENT. DESPITE ALL WARNING, CRAWLED 125 YARDS THROUGH AN ARTILLERY CONCENTRATION AND THE CROSS FIRE OF 2 MACHINE GUNS WHICH SHOWERED DIRT OVER HIS BODY, THREW 2 HAND GRENADES INTO THE EMPLACEMENT AND CHARGED IT WITH HIS SUBMACHINE GUN, KILLING 2 OF THE ENEMY AND CAPTURING A THIRD. WENT FORWARD ALONE TO RECONNOITER BEFORE LEADING HIS MEN AROUND A BEND IN THE STREAM DITCH. HEARING AN EXCHANGE OF MACHINE PISTOL AND SUBMACHINE GUN FIRE, SQUAD WENT FORWARD TO FIND THAT ITS LEADER HAD RUN 35 YARDS TOWARD AN OUTPOST, KILLED THE MACHINE PISTOL MAN AND HAD HIMSELF BEEN KILLED WHILE FIRING AT THE GERMANS.