Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

1st Lieutenant

"Lieutenant Bates led his platoon to spearhead his company's advance into the city. Aggressively leading his men across an unavoidable 75-yard-wide open field, under intense enemy artillery, mortar and small arms fire, they reached a trench system. There Lieutenant Bates with his carbine killed two enemy snipers at a 150-yard range and coveredhis men as they scaled an eight-foot wall. However, when Lieutenant Bates rose to scale the wall, renewed enemy sniper fire all but hit him. Reorganizing his men behind the wall, Lieutenant Bates led them across 60 additional yards of open field, under the continuing German artillery, mortar and sniper fire, and into the city to clear ten blocks of buildings and establish a road block."