World War II Honoree

Joseph E. Muller

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Holyoke, Massachusetts

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR. SERVED AS SERGEANT, U.S. ARMY, COMPANY B, 305TH INFANTRY, 77TH INFANTRY DIVISION. PLACE AND DATE; NEAR ISHIMMI, OKINAWA, RYUKYU ISLANDS, MAY 15-16, 1945. ENTERED SERVICE AT NEW YORK, NEW YORK. GO NUMBER; 71, JULY 17, 1946. CITATION; DISPLAYED CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY WHEN PLATOON WAS STOPPED BY DEADLY FIRE FROM A STRONGLY DEFENDED RIDGE, HE DIRECTED MEN TO POINTS WHERE THEY COULD COVER HIS ATTACK. THEN THROUGH THE VICIOUS MACHINE GUN AND AUTOMATIC FIRE, CRAWLING FORWARD ALONE, HE SUDDENLY JUMPED UP, HURLED HIS GRENADES, CHARGED THE ENEMY, AND DROVE THEM INTO THE OPEN WHERE HIS SQUAD SHOT THEM DOWN. SEEING ENEMY SURVIVORS ABOUT TO MAN A MACHINE GUN, HE FIRED HIS RIFLE AT POINT BLANK RANGE, HURLED HIMSELF UPON THEM AND KILLED THE REMAINING 4. BEFORE DAWN THE NEXT DAY, THE ENEMY COUNTERATTACKED FIERCELY TO RETAKE THE POSITION. SERGEANT MULLER CRAWLED FORWARD THROUGH THE FLYING BULLETS AND EXPLOSIVES, THEN LEAPING TO HIS FEET, HURLING GRENADES AND FIRING HIS RIFLE, HE CHARGED THE JAPS AND ROUTED THEM. AS HE MOVED INTO HIS FOXHOLE SHARED WITH 2 OTHER MEN, A LONE ENEMY, WHO HAD BEEN FEIGNING DEATH, THREW A GRENADE. QUICKLY SEEING THE DANGER TO HIS COMPANIONS, SERGEANT MULLER THREW HIMSELF OVER IT AND SMOTHERED THE BLAST WITH HIS BODY. HEROICALLY SACRIFICING HIS LIFE TO SAVE HIS COMRADES, HE UPHELD THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE MILITARY SERVICE.