Fournier, William Grant

Date of birth:: June 21st, 1913 (Norwich/Connetticut, United States)
Date of death:: January 13th, 1943 (Mount Austen, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands)
Buried on:: National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Nationality:: American

Biography

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Medal of Honor - Army (MoH)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Sergeant
Unit:: Company M, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division "Tropic Lightning", U.S. Army
Awarded on:: June 5th, 1943

"For gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. As leader of a machinegun section charged with the protection of other battalion units, his group was attacked by a superior number of Japanese, his gunner killed, his assistant gunner wounded, and an adjoining gun crew put out of action. Ordered to withdraw from this hazardous position, Sgt. Fournier refused to retire but rushed forward to the idle gun and, with the aid of another soldier who joined him, held up the machinegun by the tripod to increase its field action. They opened fire and inflicted heavy casualties upon the enemy. While so engaged both these gallant soldiers were killed, but their sturdy defensive was a decisive factor in the following success of the attacking battalion."

Awarded posthumously.

Purple Heart

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Sergeant
Unit:: Company M, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division "Tropic Lightning", U.S. Army

Posthumously awarded

Sources

Photo 1: US Government Photo
- Jordan, Kenneth N., Yesterday’s Heroes – 433 men of World War II awarded the Medal of Honor 1941-1945, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., USA, 1996
- Karolevitz, R.F. (editor), The 25th Division and World War II, The Battery Press, Nashville, USA, 1995
- Valor awards for William Grant Fournier