Wright, Elam Windom, Jr.

Date of birth:: October 20th, 1920
Date of death:: December 30th, 2002
Buried on:: Arlington National Cemetery
Plot: 66. Grave: 7185.
Nationality:: American

Biography

Servicenumber 01032129.

Elam Wright served from April 8th, 1936 until June 30th, 1971 with the U.s. Army and finally reached the rank of Colonel.

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Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: 1st Lieutenant
Unit:: Company G, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division "The Rock of the Marne", U.S. Army
Awarded on:: October 8th, 1945

citation:
"For extraordinary heroism in action on 17 December 1944, near Kaisersberg, France.
Lieutenant Wright led a fifteen-man platoon in an assault on steep, hill positions, ringed by concrete machine gun emplacements and covered by 88mm fire. Advancing ahead of his men, despite bullets which struck his M-1 rifle, he knocked out a machine gun at thirty yards range with rifle grenades, capturing eight Germans. He then forced the surrender of four enemy soldiers manning a second machine gun position, and charge toward the crest of the hill to envelope a double machine gun dugout from the rear, driving off its crew with machine pistol fire."

Headquarters, Seventh U.S. Army, General Orders No. 587 (October 8, 1945).