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Congressional Medal of Honor Society

Stories of Sacrifice

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World War II - U.S. Army

George J Peters

Details
  • Rank: Private
  • Conflict/Era: World War II
  • Unit/Command:
    Company G, 507th Parachute Infantry,
    17th Airborne Division
  • Military Service Branch: U.S. Army
  • Medal of Honor Action Date: March 24, 1945
  • Medal of Honor Action Place: near Fluren, Germany
Citation

Pvt. Peters, a platoon radio operator with Company G, made a descent into Germany near Fluren, east of the Rhine. With 10 others, he landed in a field about 75 yards from a German machine gun supported by riflemen and was immediately pinned down by heavy, direct fire. The position of the small unit seemed hopeless, with the men struggling to free themselves of their parachutes in a hail of bullets that cut them off from their nearby equipment bundles, when Pvt. Peters stood up without orders and began a one-man charge against the hostile emplacement armed only with a rifle and grenades. His singlehanded assault immediately drew the enemy fire away from his comrades. He had run halfway to his objective, pitting rifle fire against that of the machine gun, when he was struck and knocked to the ground by a burst. Heroically, he regained his feet and struggled onward. Once more he was torn by bullets, and this time he was unable to rise. With gallant devotion to his self-imposed mission, he crawled directly into the fire that had mortally wounded him until close enough to hurl grenades which knocked out the machine gun, killed two of its operators, and drove protecting riflemen from their positions into the safety of a woods. By his intrepidity and supreme sacrifice, Pvt. Peters saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers and made it possible for them to reach their equipment, organize, and seize their first objective.

Medal of Honor Recipient George J. Peters
Medal of Honor Recipient George J. Peters
Additional Details
  • Accredited to: Cranston, Providence County, Rhode Island
  • Awarded Posthumously: Yes
  • Presentation Date & Details: March 24, 1946

    Presented to his father Joseph Peters by Lt. Gen. Oscar W. Griswold at the Rhode Island Governor's office in the Rhode Island State House, Providence, Rhode Island.

  • Born: 1924, Cranston, Providence County, RI, United States
  • Died: March 24, 1945, Germany
  • Buried: A.B.M.C. Netherlands Cemetery (MH) (6-17-8), Margraten, Holland
  • Location of Medal: George J. Peters Elementary School, Cranston, RI
 

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