Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day 23,August BREYER, CHARLES Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company I, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Rappahannock Station, Va., 23 August 1862. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Birth:——. Date of issue: 8 July 1896. Citation: Voluntarily, and at great personal risk, picked up an unexploded shell and threw it away, thus doubtless saving the life of a comrade whose arm had been taken off by the same shell. WHITE, J. HENRY Rank and organization: Private, Company A, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Rappanhannock Station, Va., 23 August 1862. Entered service at:——. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: 5 May 1900. Citation: At the imminent risk of his life, crawled to a nearby spring within the enemy’s range and exposed to constant fire filled a large number of canteens, and returned in safety to the relief of his comrades who were suffering from want of water. CAWETZKA, CHARLES Rank and organization: Private, Company F, 30th Infantry, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: Near Sariaya, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 23 August 1900. Entered service at: Wayne, Mich. Birth: Detroit, Mich. Date of issue: 14 March 1902. Citation: Single-handed, he defended a disabled comrade against a greatly superior force of the enemy. *CAREY, ALVIN P. Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 38th Infantry, 2-t Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Plougastel, Brittany, France, 23 August 1944. Entered service at: Laughlinstown, Pa. Born: 16 August 1916, Lycippus, Pa. G.O. No.: 37, 11 May 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, on 23 August 1944. S/Sgt. Carey, leader of a machinegun section, was advancing with his company in the attack on the strongly held enemy hill 154, near Plougastel, Brittany, France. The advance was held up when the attacking units were pinned down by intense enemy machinegun fire from a pillbox 200 yards up the hill. From his position covering the right flank, S/Sgt. Carey displaced his guns to an advanced position and then, upon his own initiative, armed himself with as many hand grenades as he could carry and without regard for his personal safety started alone up the hill toward the pillbox. Crawling forward under its withering fire, he proceeded 150 yards when he met a German rifleman whom he killed with his carbine. Continuing his steady forward movement until he reached grenade-throwing distance, he hurled his grenades at the pillbox opening in the face of intense enemy fire which wounded him mortally. Undaunted, he gathered his strength and continued his grenade attack until one entered and exploded within the pillbox, killing the occupants and putting their guns out of action. Inspired by S/Sgt. Carey’s heroic act, the riflemen quickly occupied the position and overpowered the remaining enemy resistance in the vicinity.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 04:18:19 +0000