World War II Honoree

Lloyd C. Hawks

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Becker, Minnesota

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

AWARDED CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR. PRIVATE 1ST CLASS, U.S. ARMY, MEDICAL DETACHMENT, 30TH INFANTRY, 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION. PLACE AND DATE: NEAR CARANO, ITALY ON JANUARY 30, 1944. ENTERED SERVICE AT PARK RAPIDS, MINNESOTA. GO 5 JANUARY 15, 1945. CITATION FOR GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY AT RISK OF LIFE ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY. JANUARY 30, 1944 AT 3 P.M., NEAR CARANO, ITALY HE BRAVED AN ENEMY COUNTER ATTACK IN ORDER TO RESCUE 2 WOUNDED MEN WHO, UNABLE TO MOVE, WERE LYING IN AN EXPOSED POSITION WITHIN 30 YARDS OF THE ENEMY. 2 RIFLEMEN, ATTEMPTING THE RESCUE, HAD BEEN FORCED TO RETURN TO THEIR FIGHTING HOLES BY EXTREMELY SEVERE ENEMY MACHINE GUN FIRE, AFTER CRAWLING ONLY 10 YARDS TOWARD THE CASUALTIES. AN AID MAN, WHOM THE ENEMY COULD PLAINLY IDENTIFY AS SUCH, HAD BEEN CRITICALLY WOUNDED IN A SIMILAR ATTEMPT. HE CRAWLED 50 YARDS THROUGH A VERITABLE HAIL OF MACHINE GUN BULLETS AND FLYING MORTAR FRAGMENTS TO A SMALL DITCH, ADMINISTERED FIRST AID TO FELLOW AID MAN WHO HAD SOUGHT COVER THEREIN AND CONTINUED TOWARD THE 2 WOUNDED MEN 50 YARDS DISTANT. AN ENEMY MACHINE GUN BULLET PENETRATED HIS HELMET, KNOCKING IT FROM HIS HEAD, MOMENTARILY STUNNING HIM. 13 BULLETS PASSED THROUGH HIS HELMET AS IT LAY ON THE GROUND WITHIN 6 INCHES OF HIS BODY. CRAWLED TO THE CASUALTIES, ADMINISTERED FIRST AID TO THE MORE SERIOUSLY WOUNDED MAN AND DRAGGED HIM TO A COVERED POSITION 25 YARDS DISTANT. DESPITE CONTINUOUS AUTOMATIC FIRE FROM POSITIONS ONLY 30 YARDS AWAY AND SHELLS WHICH EXPLODED WITHIN 25 YARDS. RETURNED TO THE 2ND MAN AND ADMINISTERED FIRST AID TO HIM. AS HE RAISED HIMSELF TO OBTAIN BANDAGES FROM HIS MEDICAL KIT HIS RIGHT HIP WAS SHATTERED BY A BURST OF MACHINE GUN FIRE AND A 2ND BURST SPLINTERED HIS LEFT FOREARM. DISPLAYING DOGGED DETERMINATION AND EXTREME SELF-CONTROL AND DESPITE SEVERE PAIN AND HIS DANGLING LEFT ARM, HE COMPLETED THE TASK OF BANDAGING THE REMAINING CASUALTY AND WITH SUPERHUMAN EFFORT DRAGGED HIM TO THE SAME DEPRESSION TO WHICH HE HAD BROUGHT THE FIRST MAN. FINDING INSUFFICIENT COVER FOR 3 MEN AT THIS POINT, HE CRAWLED 75 YARDS IN AN EFFORT TO REGAIN HIS COMPANY, REACHING THE DITCH IN WHICH HIS FELLOW AID MAN WAS LYING.