World War II Honoree

Eli Whiteley

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Florence, Texas

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

AWARDED CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR. 1ST LIEUTENANT, U.S. ARMY, COMPANY L, 15TH INFANTRY, 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION. PLACE AND DATE: SIGOLSHEIM, FRANCE DECEMBER 27, 1944. ENTERED SERVICE AT: GEORGETOWN, TEXAS SEPTEMBER 14, 1945. CITATION: WHILE LEADING HIS PLATOON ON DECEMBER 27, 1944, IN SAVAGE HOUSE-TO-HOUSE FIGHTING THROUGH THE FORTRESS TOWN OF SIGOLSHEIM, FRANCE. ATTACKED A BUILDING THROUGH A STREET SWEPT BY WITHERING MORTAR AND AUTOMATIC WEAPONS FIRE. HIT AND SEVERELY WOUNDED IN THE ARM AND SHOULDER BUT HE CHARGED INTO THE HOUSE ALONE AND KILLED ITS 2 DEFENDERS. HURLING SMOKE AND FRAGMENTATION GRENADES BEFORE HIM, HE REACHED THE NEXT HOUSE AND STORMED INSIDE, KILLING 2 AND CAPTURING 11 OF THE ENEMY. CONTINUED LEADING PLATOON IN THE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TASK OF CLEARING HOSTILE TROOPS FROM STRONG POINTS ALONG THE STREET UNTIL HE REACHED A BUILDING HELD BY FANATICAL NAZI TROOPS. ALTHOUGH SUFFERING FROM WOUNDS WHICH HAD RENDERED LEFT ARM USELESS, HE ADVANCED ON THIS STRONGLY DEFENDED HOUSE AND AFTER BLASTING OUT A WALL WITH BAZOOKA FIRE, CHARGED THROUGH A HAIL OF BULLETS. WEDGING HIS SUB-MACHINE GUN UNDER HIS UNINJURED ARM, RUSHED INTO THE HOUSE THROUGH THE HOLE TORN BY HIS ROCKETS, KILLED 5 OF THE ENEMY AND FORCED THE REMAINING 12 TO SURRENDER. AS HE EMERGED TO CONTINUE FEARLESS ATTACK, AGAIN HIT AND CRITICALLY WOUNDED. IN AGONY AND WITH 1 EYE PIERCED BY A SHELL FRAGMENT, HE SHOUTED FOR HIS MEN TO FOLLOW HIM TO THE NEXT HOUSE. DETERMINED TO STAY IN THE FIGHTING AND REMAINED AT THE HEAD OF PLATOON UNTIL FORCIBLY EVACUATED. BY HIS DISREGARD FOR PERSONAL SAFETY, HIS AGGRESSIVENESS WHILE SUFFERING FROM SEVERE WOUNDS, HIS DETERMINED LEADERSHIP AND SUPERB COURAGE, HE KILLED 9 GERMANS, CAPTURED 23 MORE AND SPEARHEADED AN ATTACK WHICH CRACKED THE CORE OF ENEMY RESISTANCE IN A VITAL AREA.