World War II Honoree

Arthur O. Beyer

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Rock Township, Iowa

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

BORN MAY 20, 1909, ROCK TOWNSHIP, MITCHELL COUNTY, IOWA. ENTERED SERVICE AT ST. ANSGAR, IOWA. CORPORAL U.S. ARMY, COMPANY C, 603RD TANK DESTROYER BATTALION. AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR FOR ACTION NEAR ARLONCOURT, BELGIUM, JANUARY 15, 1945; GO 73, AUGUST 30, 1945. CITATION READS, 'HE DISPLAYED CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY IN ACTION. HIS PLATOON, IN WHICH HE WAS A TANK-DESTROYER GUNNER, WAS HELD UP BY ANTI-TANK, MACHINE GUN AND RIFLE FIRE FROM ENEMY TROOPS DUG IN ALONG A RIDGE ABOUT 200 YARDS TO THE FRONT. NOTING A MACHINE GUN POSITION IN THIS DEFENSE LINE, HE FIRED UPON IT WITH HIS 76MM GUN, KILLING ONE MAN AND SILENCING THE WEAPON. HE DISMOUNTED FROM HIS VEHICLE AND, UNDER DIRECT ENEMY OBSERVATION, CROSSED OPEN GROUND TO CAPTURE THE TWO REMAINING MEMBERS OF THE CREW. ANOTHER MACHINE GUN, ABOUT 250 YARDS TO THE LEFT, CONTINUED TO FIRE ON HIM. THROUGH WITHERING FIRE, HE ADVANCED ON THE POSITION. THROWING A GRENADE INTO THE EMPLACEMENT, HE KILLED ONE CREW MEMBER AND AGAIN CAPTURED THE TWO SURVIVORS. HE WAS SUBJECTED TO CONCENTRATED SMALL-ARMS FIRE BUT, WITH GREAT BRAVERY, HE WORKED HIS WAY A QUARTER MILE ALONG THE RIDGE, ATTACKING HOSTILE SOLDIERS IN THEIR FOXHOLES WITH HIS CARBINE AND GRENADES. WHEN HE HAD COMPLETED HIS SELF-IMPOSED MISSION AGAINST POWERFUL GERMAN FORCES, HE HAD DESTROYED TWO MACHINE GUN POSITIONS, KILLED EIGHT OF THE ENEMY AND CAPTURED 18 PRISONERS, INCLUDING TWO BAZOOKA TEAMS. HIS INTREPID ACTION AND UNFLINCHING DETERMINATION TO CLOSE WITH AND DESTROY THE ENEMY ELIMINATED THE GERMAN DEFENSE LINE AND ENABLED HIS TASK FORCE TO GAIN ITS OBJECTIVE'.