Muller, Joseph E.

Date of birth:: June 23rd, 1908 (Holyoke/Massachussets, United States)
Date of death:: May 16th, 1945 (near Ishimmi, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands)
Buried on:: National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Plot: N. Grave: 1259.
Nationality:: American

Biography

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Medal of Honor - Army (MoH)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Sergeant
Unit:: Company B, 305th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division "Statue of Liberty", U.S. Army
Awarded on:: July 17th, 1946

"He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. When his platoon was stopped by deadly fire from a strongly defended ridge, he directed men to points where they could cover his attack. Then through the vicious machinegun and automatic fire, crawling forward alone, he suddenly jumped up, hurled his grenades, charged the enemy, and drove them into the open where his squad shot them down. Seeing enemy survivors about to man a machinegun, he fired his rifle at point-blank range, hurled himself upon them, and killed the remaining 4. Before dawn the next day, the enemy counterattacked fiercely to retake the position. Sgt. Muller crawled forward through the flying bullets and explosives, then leaping to his feet, hurling grenades and firing his rifle, he charged the Japanese and routed them. As he moved into his foxhole shared with 2 other men, a lone enemy, who had been feigning death, threw a grenade. Quickly seeing the danger to his companions, Sgt. Muller threw himself over it and smothered the blast with his body. Heroically sacrificing his life to save his comrades, he upheld the highest traditions of the military service."

General Order No. 71, July 17th, 1946.
Awarded posthumously.