AGERHOLM, HAROLD CHRIST
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 29 January 1925, Racine, Wis. Accredited
to: Wisconsin. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above
and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 4th Battalion, 10th Marines, 2d Marine Division, in action against enemy
Japanese forces on Saipan, Marianas Islands, 7 July 1944. When the enemy launched a fierce, determined counterattack against
our positions and overran a neighboring artillery battalion, Pfc. Agerholm immediately volunteered to assist in the efforts
to check the hostile attack and evacuate our wounded. Locating and appropriating an abandoned ambulance jeep, he repeatedly
made extremely perilous trips under heavy rifle and mortar fire and single-handedly loaded and evacuated approximately 45
casualties, working tirelessly and with utter disregard for his own safety during a grueling period of more than 3 hours.
Despite intense, persistent enemy fire, he ran out to aid 2 men whom he believed to be wounded marines but was himself mortally
wounded by a Japanese sniper while carrying out his hazardous mission. Pfc. Agerholm's brilliant initiative, great personal
valor and self-sacrificing efforts in the face of almost certain death reflect the highest credit upon himself and the U.S.
Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
BAKER, THOMAS A.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 105th Infantry, 27th Infantry Division. Place
and date: Saipan, Mariana Islands, 19 June to 7 July 1944. Entered service at: Troy, N.Y. Birth: Troy, N.Y. G.O. No.: 35,
9 May 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty
at Saipan, Mariana Islands, 19 June to 7 July 1944. When his entire company was held up by fire from automatic weapons and
small-arms fire from strongly fortified enemy positions that commanded the view of the company, Sgt. (then Pvt.) Baker voluntarily
took a bazooka and dashed alone to within 100 yards of the enemy. Through heavy rifle and machinegun fire that was directed
at him by the enemy, he knocked out the strong point, enabling his company to assault the ridge. Some days later while his
company advanced across the open field flanked with obstructions and places of concealment for the enemy, Sgt. Baker again
voluntarily took up a position in the rear to protect the company against surprise attack and came upon 2 heavily fortified
enemy pockets manned by 2 officers and 10 enlisted men which had been bypassed. Without regard for such superior numbers,
he unhesitatingly attacked and killed all of them. Five hundred yards farther, he discovered 6 men of the enemy who had concealed
themselves behind our lines and destroyed all of them. On 7 July 1944, the perimeter of which Sgt. Baker was a part was attacked
from 3 sides by from 3,000 to 5,000 Japanese. During the early stages of this attack, Sgt. Baker was seriously wounded but
he insisted on remaining in the line and fired at the enemy at ranges sometimes as close as 5 yards until his ammunition ran
out. Without ammunition and with his own weapon battered to uselessness from hand-to-hand combat, he was carried about 50
yards to the rear by a comrade, who was then himself wounded. At this point Sgt. Baker refused to be moved any farther stating
that he preferred to be left to die rather than risk the lives of any more of his friends. A short time later, at his request,
he was placed in a sitting position against a small tree . Another comrade, withdrawing, offered assistance. Sgt. Baker refused,
insisting that he be left alone and be given a soldier's pistol with its remaining 8 rounds of ammunition. When last seen
alive, Sgt. Baker was propped against a tree, pistol in hand, calmly facing the foe. Later Sgt. Baker's body was found in
the same position, gun empty, with 8 Japanese lying dead before him. His deeds were in keeping with the highest traditions
of the U.S. Army.
EPPERSON, HAROLD GLENN
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 14 July 1923, Akron, Ohio. Accredited
to: Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while
serving with the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 2d Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on the Island of
Saipan in the Marianas, on 25 June 1944. With his machinegun emplacement bearing the full brunt of a fanatic assault initiated
by the Japanese under cover of predawn darkness, Pfc. Epperson manned his weapon with determined aggressiveness, fighting
furiously in the defense of his battalion's position and maintaining a steady stream of devastating fire against rapidly infiltrating
hostile troops to aid materially in annihilating several of the enemy and in breaking the abortive attack. Suddenly a Japanese
soldier, assumed to be dead, sprang up and hurled a powerful hand grenade into the emplacement. Determined to save his comrades,
Pfc. Epperson unhesitatingly chose to sacrifice himself and, diving upon the deadly missile, absorbed the shattering violence
of the exploding charge in his own body. Stouthearted and indomitable in the face of certain death, Pfc. Epperson fearlessly
yielded his own life that his able comrades might carry on the relentless battle against a ruthless enemy. His superb valor
and unfaltering devotion to duty throughout reflect the highest credit upon himself and upon the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly
gave his life for his country.
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Gunnery Sgt Robert H. McCard |
McCARD, ROBERT HOWARD
Rank and organization: Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 25 November 1918, Syracuse, N.Y. Accredited
to: New York. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty
while serving as platoon sergeant of Company A, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division, during the battle for enemy Japanese-held
Saipan, Marianas Islands, on 16 June 1944. Cut off from the other units of his platoon when his tank was put out of action
by a battery of enemy 77mm. guns, G/Sgt. McCard carried on resolutely, bringing all the tank's weapons to bear on the enemy,
until the severity of hostile fire caused him to order his crew out of the escape hatch while he courageously exposed himself
to enemy guns by hurling hand grenades, in order to cover the evacuation of his men. Seriously wounded during this action
and with his supply of grenades exhausted, G/Sgt. McCard then dismantled one of the tank's machineguns and faced the Japanese
for the second time to deliver vigorous fire into their positions, destroying 16 of the enemy but sacrificing himself to insure
the safety of his crew. His valiant fighting spirit and supreme loyalty in the face of almost certain death reflect the highest
credit upon G/Sgt. McCard and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
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Lt Col William J. O'Brien |
O'BRIEN, WILLIAM J.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, 1st Battalion, 105th Infantry, 27th Infantry
Division. Place and date: At Saipan, Marianas Islands, 20 June through 7 July 1944. Entered service at: Troy, N.Y. Birth:
Troy, N.Y. G.O. No.: 35, 9 May 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and
beyond the call of duty at Saipan, Marianas Islands, from 20 June through 7 July 1944. When assault elements of his platoon
were held up by intense enemy fire, Lt. Col. O'Brien ordered 3 tanks to precede the assault companies in an attempt to knock
out the strongpoint. Due to direct enemy fire the tanks' turrets were closed, causing the tanks to lose direction and to fire
into our own troops. Lt. Col. O'Brien, 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, Lt. Col. O'Brien personally directed the assault until the enemy strongpoint had been liquidated.
On 28 June 1944, while his platoon was attempting to take a bitterly defended high ridge in the vicinity of Donnay, Lt. Col.
O'Brien arranged to capture the ridge by a double envelopment movement of 2 large combat battalions. He personally took control
of the maneuver. Lt. Col. O'Brien 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 strongpoint. In this action he captured S machineguns and one
77-mm. fieldpiece. Lt. Col. O'Brien then organized the 2 platoons for night defense and against repeated counterattacks directed
them. Meanwhile he managed to hold ground. On 7 July 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, Lt. Col. O'Brien 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, Lt. Col. O'Brien refused to be evacuated and after his pistol ammunition
was exhausted, he manned a .50 caliber machinegun, mounted on a jeep, and continued firing. When last seen alive he was standing
upright firing into the Jap 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.
SALOMON, BEN L.
Captain Ben L. Salomon was serving at Saipan, in the Marianas Islands on July 7, 1944, as the Surgeon for the 2d Battalion,
105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. The Regiment's 1st and 2d Battalions
were attacked by an overwhelming force estimated between 3,000 and 5,000 Japanese soldiers. It was one of the largest attacks
attempted in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Although both units fought furiously, the enemy soon penetrated the
Battalions' combined perimeter and inflicted overwhelming casualties. In the first minutes of the attack, approximately 30
wounded soldiers walked, crawled, or were carried into Captain Salomon's aid station, and the small tent soon filled with
wounded men. As the perimeter began to be overrun, it became increasingly difficult for Captain Salomon to work on the wounded.
He then saw a Japanese soldier bayoneting one of the wounded soldiers lying near the tent. Firing from a squatting position,
Captain Salomon quickly killed the enemy soldier. Then, as he turned his attention back to the wounded, two more Japanese
soldiers appeared in the front entrance of the tent. As these enemy soldiers were killed, four more crawled under the tent
walls. Rushing them, Captain Salomon kicked the knife out of the hand of one, shot another, and bayoneted a third. Captain
Salomon butted the fourth enemy soldier in the stomach and a wounded comrade then shot and killed the enemy soldier. Realizing
the gravity of the situation, Captain Salomon ordered the wounded to make their way as best they could back to the regimental
aid station, while he attempted to hold off the enemy until they were clear. Captain Salomon then grabbed a rifle from one
of the wounded and rushed out of the tent. After four men were killed while manning a machine gun, Captain Salomon took control
of it. When his body was later found, 98 dead enemy soldiers were piled in front of his position. Captain Salomon's extraordinary
heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon
himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
TIMMERMAN, GRANT FREDERICK
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 14 February 1919, Americus, Kans. Accredited to: Kansas.
Other Navy award: Bronze Star Medal. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and
beyond the call of duty as tank commander serving with the 2d Battalion, 6th Marines, 2d Marine Division, during action against
enemy Japanese forces on Saipan, Marianas Islands, on 8 July 1944. Advancing with his tank a few yards ahead of the infantry
in support of a vigorous attack on hostile positions, Sgt. Timmerman maintained steady fire from his antiaircraft sky mount
machinegun until progress was impeded by a series of enemy trenches and pillboxes. Observing a target of opportunity, he immediately
ordered the tank stopped and, mindful of the danger from the muzzle blast as he prepared to open fire with the 75mm., fearlessly
stood up in the exposed turret and ordered the infantry to hit the deck. Quick to act as a grenade, hurled by the Japanese,
was about to drop into the open turret hatch, Sgt. Timmerman unhesitatingly blocked the opening with his body holding the
grenade against his chest and taking the brunt of the explosion. His exception valor and loyalty in saving his men at the
cost of his own life reflect the highest credit upon Sgt. Timmerman and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life
in the service of his country.
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