World War II Honoree

William Wylie Galt

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Geyser, Montana

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

ENTERED SERVICE AT STANFORD, MONTANA. CAPTAIN, U.S. ARMY, 168TH INFANTRY, 34TH INFANTRY DIVISION. POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR FOR ACTION AT VILLA CROCETTA, ITALY, MAY 29, 1944; GO 1, FEBRUARY 1, 1945. CITATION READS, 'FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY. CAPTAIN GALT, BATTALION S-3, AT A PARTICULARLY CRITICAL PERIOD FOLLOWING TWO UNSUCCESSFUL ATTACKS BY HIS BATTALION, OF HIS OWN VOLITION WENT FORWARD AND ASCERTAINED JUST HOW CRITICAL THE SITUATION WAS. HE VOLUNTEERED, AT THE RISK OF HIS LIFE, PERSONALLY TO LEAD THE BATTALION AGAINST THE OBJECTIVE. WHEN THE LONE REMAINING TANK DESTROYER REFUSED TO GO FORWARD, CAPTAIN GALT JUMPED ON THE TANK DESTROYER AND ORDERED IT TO PRECEDE THE ATTACK. AS THE TANK DESTROYER MOVED FORWARD, FOLLOWED BY A COMPANY OF RIFLEMEN, CAPTAIN GALT MANNED THE 30-CALIBER MACHINE GUN IN THE TURRET OF THE TANK DESTROYER, LOCATED AND DIRECTED FIRE ON AN ENEMY 77MM ANTI-TANK GUN AND DESTROYED IT. NEARING THE ENEMY POSITIONS, CAPTAIN GALT STOOD FULLY EXPOSED IN THE TURRET, CEASELESSLY FIRING HIS MACHINE GUN AND TOSSING HAND GRENADES INTO THE ENEMY ZIGZAG SERIES OF TRENCHES DESPITE THE HAIL OF SNIPER AND MACHINE GUN BULLETS RICOCHETING OFF THE TANK DESTROYER. AS THE TANK DESTROYER MOVED, CAPTAIN GALT SO MANEUVERED IT THAT 40 OF THE ENEMY WERE TRAPPED IN ONE TRENCH. WHEN THEY REFUSED TO SURRENDER, CAPTAIN GALT PRESSED THE TRIGGER OF THE MACHINE GUN AND DISPATCHED EVERY ONE OF THEM. A FEW MINUTES LATER AN 88MM SHELL STRUCK THE TANK DESTROYER AND CAPTAIN GALT FELL MORTALLY WOUNDED ACROSS HIS MACHINE GUN. HE HAD PERSONALLY KILLED 40 GERMANS AND WOUNDED MANY MORE. CAPTAIN GALT PITTED HIS JUDGMENT AND SUPERB COURAGE AGAINST OVERWHELMING ODDS, EXEMPLIFYING THE HIGHEST MEASURE OF DEVOTION TO HIS COUNTRY AND THE FINEST TRADITIONS OF THE U.S. ARMY.'