Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Staff Sergeant (Sergeant-Major)

Unit:

Company H, 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division "Red Bull", U.S. Army

Awarded on:

1944

Richard E. McCaffrey, 35171153, Staff Sergeant, Infantry, United States Army. For extraordinary heroism in action, on 5 January 1944, in the vicinity of San Vittore, Italy. During an attack a heavy machine gun platoon was ordered to displace its weapons to secure the exposed left flank of attacking elements. Staff Sergeant McCaffrey (then Sergeant) moved forward in advance of the platoon to reconnoiter for suitable gun positions. Arriving at a point on the left flank of a rifle company, he encountered fire from an enemy machine gun located approximately two hundred yards down the mountainside. This weapon had been harassing the rifle company and had inflicted severe casualties. Staff Sergeant McCaffrey borrowed a bazooka from a nearby soldier and moved toward the enemy machine gun. Each time he exposed himself he drew a burst of fire, but he succeeded in working his way down the rocky slope to a point within fifty yards of the dugout from which the enemy was firing. Firing his bazooka, he scored a direct hit on the dugout, killing two Germans and causing two others to flee, a few moments later, he observed a platoon of approximately twenty Germans working their way up the mountain side, apparently with the intention of flanking the rifle company’s positions. Using his rifle, Staff Sergeant McCaffrey held off the enemy platoon until his machine gun section was able to set up its weapons and open fire to rout the enemy. Staff Sergeant McCaffrey’s daring courage and fighting determination exemplify the finest traditions of the Armed Forces of the United States. Entered military service from Frankfort, Indiana.

Headquarters, Fifth U.S. Army, General Orders No. 149 (1944).