World War II Honoree

Walter J. Will

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR. FIRST LIEUTENANT, U.S. ARMY, COMPANY K, 18TH INFANTRY, 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION. PLACE AND DATE NEAR EISERN, GERMANY ON MARCH 30, 1945. ENTERED SERVICE AT WEST WINFIELD, NEW YORK. ON OCTOBER 17, 1945 AWARDED CITATION. HE DISPLAYED CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY DURING AN ATTACK ON POWERFUL ENEMY POSITIONS. HE COURAGEOUSLY EXPOSED HIMSELF TO WITHERING HOSTILE FIRE TO RESCUE 2 WOUNDED MEN AND THEN, ALTHOUGH PAINFULLY WOUNDED HIMSELF, MADE A THIRD TRIP TO CARRY ANOTHER SOLDIER TO SAFETY FROM AN OPEN AREA. IGNORING THE PROFUSE BLEEDING OF HIS WOUND, HE GALLANTLY LED MEN OF HIS PLATOON FORWARD UNTIL THEY WERE PINNED DOWN BY MURDEROUS FLANKING FIRE FROM 2 ENEMY MACHINE GUNS. HE FEARLESSLY CRAWLED ALONE TO WITHIN 30 FEET OF THE FIRST ENEMY POSITION, KILLED THE CREW OF 4 AND SILENCED THE GUN WITH ACCURATE GRENADE FIRE. HE CONTINUED TO CRAWL THROUGH INTENSE ENEMY FIRE TO WITHIN 20 FEET OF THE SECOND POSITION WHERE HE LEAPED TO HIS FEET, MADE A LONE, FEROCIOUS CHARGE AND CAPTURED THE GUN AND ITS 9-MAN CREW. OBSERVING ANOTHER PLATOON PINNED DOWN BY 2 MORE GERMAN MACHINE GUNS, HE LED A SQUAD ON A FLANKING APPROACH AND, ROSE TO HIS KNEES IN THE FACE OF DIRECT FIRE, COOLLY AND DELIBERATELY LOBBED 3 GRENADES AT THE GERMANS, SILENCED 1 GUN AND KILLED ITS CREW. WITH TENACIOUS AGGRESSIVENESS, HE RAN TOWARD THE OTHER GUN AND KNOCKED IT OUT WITH GRENADE FIRE. HE THEN RETURNED TO HIS PLATOON AND LED IT IN A FIERCE, INSPIRED CHARGE, FORCED THE ENEMY TO FALL BACK IN CONFUSION. HE WAS MORTALLY WOUNDED IN THIS LAST ACTION, BUT HIS HEROIC LEADERSHIP, INDOMITABLE COURAGE AND UNFLINCHING DEVOTION TO DUTY LIVED ON AS A PERPETUAL INSPIRATION TO ALL THOSE WHO WITNESSED HIS DEEDS.