Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Private First Class

Unit:

Company K, 310th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division "Lightning", U.S. Army

Awarded on:

October 8th, 1945

By direction of the President, under the provisions of Army Regulations 600-45, 22 September 1943, as amended, the Distinguished Service Cross is Awarded by the Army Commander to James Grafhorst (35008236), Private First Class, Infantry, Company K, 310th Infantry Regiment, for extraordinary heroism in action on 18 March 1945, near Heisterbacherrott, Germany.
A sudden burst of machine gun fire pinned down Private First Class Grafhorst’s platoon. He fearlessly assaulted the machine gun positions, firing his automatic rifle from his hip as he advanced. Within ten yards of the emplacement, he threw in a grenade and, following it with a burst of fire, killed the enemy gun crew. His heroic conduct inspired the other members of the platoon to continue the attack and capture the assigned objective. His great personal courage and initiative were in accord with the highest military traditions
Entered military service from Ohio.

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