World War II Honoree

William J. O'Brien

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Troy, New York

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

HE WAS POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR. LIEUTENANT COLONEL, U.S. ARMY, 1ST BATTALION, 105TH INFANTRY, 27TH INFANTRY DIVISION. PLACE AND DATE: AT SAIPAN, MARIANA ISLANDS, JUNE 20 THROUGH JULY 7, 1944. ENTERED SERVICE AT: TROY, NEW YORK. CITATION: 'FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY AT THE RISK OF HIS LIFE ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY AT SAIPAN, MARIANA ISLANDS, FROM JUNE 20 THROUGH JULY 7, 1944. WHEN ASSAULT ELEMENTS OF HIS PLATOON WERE HELD UP BY INTENSE ENEMY FIRE, HE ORDERED 3 TANKS TO PRECEDE THE ASSAULT COMPANIES IN AN ATTEMPT TO KNOCK OUT THE STRONG POINT. DUE TO DIRECT ENEMY FIRE THE TANKS' TURRETS WERE CLOSED, CAUSING THE TANKS TO LOSE DIRECTION AND TO FIRE INTO OUR OWN TROOPS. WITH COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR HIS OWN SAFETY, DASHED INTO FULL VIEW OF THE ENEMY AND RAN TO THE LEADER'S TANK, AND POUNDED ON THE TANK WITH HIS PISTOL BUTT TO ATTRACT 2 OF THE TANK'S CREW AND, MOUNTING THE TANK FULLY EXPOSED TO ENEMY FIRE, HE PERSONALLY DIRECTED THE ASSAULT UNTIL THE ENEMY STRONG POINT HAD BEEN LIQUIDATED. ON JUNE 28, 1944, WHILE HIS PLATOON WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAKE A BITTERLY DEFENDED HIGH RIDGE, HE ARRANGED TO CAPTURE THE RIDGE BY A DOUBLE ENVELOPMENT MOVEMENT OF 2 LARGE COMBAT BATTALIONS. HE PERSONALLY TOOK CONTROL OF THE MANEUVER. HE CROSSED 1,200 YARDS OF SNIPER-INFESTED UNDERBRUSH ALONE TO ARRIVE AT A POINT WHERE 1 OF HIS PLATOONS WAS BEING HELD UP BY THE ENEMY. LEAVING SOME MEN TO CONTAIN THE ENEMY HE PERSONALLY LED 4 MEN INTO A NARROW RAVINE BEHIND AND KILLED OR DROVE OFF ALL THE JAPANESE MANNING THAT STRONG POINT. IN THIS ACTION HE CAPTURED S MACHINE GUNS AND ONE 77-MM. FIELDPIECE. HE THEN ORGANIZED THE 2 PLATOONS FOR NIGHT DEFENSE AND AGAINST REPEATED COUNTERATTACKS DIRECTED THEM. MEANWHILE HE MANAGED TO HOLD GROUND. ON JULY 7, 1944 HIS BATTALION AND ANOTHER BATTALION WERE ATTACKED BY AN OVERWHELMING ENEMY FORCE ESTIMATED AT BETWEEN 3,000 AND 5,000 JAPANESE. WITH BLOODY HAND-TO-HAND FIGHTING IN PROGRESS EVERYWHERE, THEIR FORWARD POSITIONS WERE FINALLY OVERRUN BY THE SHEER WEIGHT OF THE ENEMY NUMBERS. WITH MANY CASUALTIES AND AMMUNITION RUNNING LOW, HE REFUSED TO LEAVE THE FRONT LINES. STRIDING UP AND DOWN THE LINES, HE FIRED AT THE ENEMY WITH A PISTOL IN EACH HAND AND HIS PRESENCE THERE BOLSTERED THE SPIRITS OF THE MEN, ENCOURAGED THEM IN THEIR FIGHT AND SUSTAINED THEM IN THEIR HEROIC STAND. EVEN AFTER HE WAS SERIOUSLY WOUNDED, HE REFUSED TO BE EVACUATED AND AFTER HIS PISTOL AMMUNITION WAS EXHAUSTED, HE MANNED A .50 CALIBER MACHINE GUN, MOUNTED ON A JEEP, AND CONTINUED FIRING. WHEN LAST SEEN ALIVE HE WAS STANDING UPRIGHT FIRING INTO THE JAPANESE HORDES THAT WERE THEN ENVELOPING HIM. SOME TIME LATER HIS BODY WAS FOUND SURROUNDED BY ENEMY HE HAD KILLED HIS VALOR WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE SERVICE.'