World War II Honoree

Truman O. Olson

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Christiana, Wisconsin

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

HE WAS POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR. SERGEANT, U.S. ARMY, COMPANY B, 7TH INFANTRY, 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION. PLACE AND DATE: NEAR CISTERNA DI LITTORIA, ITALY, JANUARY 30-31, 1944. ENTERED AT CAMBRIDGE, WISCONSIN. GO 6, JANUARY 24, 1945. CITATION FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY. HE, A LIGHT MACHINE GUNNER, ELECTED TO SACRIFICE HIS LIFE TO SAVE HIS COMPANY FROM ANNIHILATION. ON THE NIGHT OF JANUARY 30, 1944, AFTER A 16 HOUR ASSAULT ON ENTRENCHED ENEMY POSITIONS IN THE COURSE OF WHICH OVER ONE-THIRD OF COMPANY B BECAME CASUALTIES, THE SURVIVORS DUG IN BEHIND A HORSESHOE ELEVATION, PLACING HIM AND HIS CREW, WITH THE 1 AVAILABLE MACHINE GUN, FORWARD OF THEIR LINES AND IN AN EXPOSED POSITION TO BEAR THE BRUNT OF THE EXPECTED GERMAN COUNTERATTACK. ALTHOUGH HE HAD BEEN FIGHTING WITHOUT RESPITE, HE STUCK GRIMLY TO HIS POST ALL NIGHT WHILE HIS GUN CREW WAS CUT DOWN, 1 BY 1, BY ACCURATE AND OVERWHELMING ENEMY FIRE. WEARY FROM OVER 24 HOURS OF CONTINUOUS BATTLE AND SUFFERING FROM AN ARM WOUND, RECEIVED DURING THE NIGHT ENGAGEMENT, HE MANNED HIS GUN ALONE, MEETING THE FULL FORCE OF AN ALL OUT ENEMY ASSAULT BY APPROXIMATELY 200 MEN SUPPORTED BY MORTAR AND MACHINE GUN FIRE WHICH THE GERMANS LAUNCHED AT DAYBREAK ON THE MORNING OF JANUARY 31. AFTER 30 MINUTES OF FIGHTING, HE WAS MORTALLY WOUNDED, YET, KNOWING THAT ONLY HIS WEAPONS STOOD BETWEEN HIS COMPANY AND COMPLETE DESTRUCTION, HE REFUSED EVACUATION. FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF AFTER RECEIVING HIS SECOND AND FATAL WOUND HE CONTINUED TO FIRE HIS MACHINE GUN, KILLING AT LEAST 20 OF THE ENEMY, WOUNDING MANY MORE, AND FORCING THE ASSAULTING GERMAN ELEMENTS TO WITHDRAW.