Unit/Command: Company I, 3d Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division
Military Service Branch: U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
Medal of Honor Action Date: March 3, 1945
Medal of Honor Action Place: Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands
Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifleman with Company I, 3d Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the seizure of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, 3 March 1945. Consistently aggressive, Pfc. Caddy boldly defied shattering Japanese machine-gun and small-arms fire to move forward with his platoon leader and another marine during the determined advance of his company through an isolated sector and, gaining the comparative safety of a shell hole, took temporary cover with his comrades. Immediately pinned down by deadly sniper fire from a well-concealed position, he made several unsuccessful attempts to again move forward and then, joined by his platoon leader, engaged the enemy in a fierce exchange of hand grenades until a Japanese grenade fell beyond reach in the shell hole. Fearlessly disregarding all personal danger, Pfc. Caddy instantly dived on the deadly missile, absorbing the exploding charge in his own body and protecting the others from serious injury. Stouthearted and indomitable, he unhesitatingly yielded his own life that his fellow marines might carry on the relentless battle against a fanatic enemy. His dauntless courage and valiant spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of certain death reflect the highest credit upon Pfc. Caddy and upon the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his comrades.
Medal of Honor Recipient William R. Caddy
Additional Details
Accredited to: Massachusetts
Awarded Posthumously: Yes
Presentation Date & Details: September 8, 1946 Montclair school lawn, Montclair, Massachusetts, presented by Rear Adm. Morton L. Deyo, commandant of the 1st Naval District, to his family
Born: August 8, 1925, Quincy, Norfolk County, MA, United States
Died: March 3, 1945, Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands
Buried: National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) (MH) (C-81), Honolulu, HI, United States