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| MEDAL
OF HONOR RECIPIENT RICHARD ELLER COWAN |
Rank and organization:
Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company M, 23d Infantry, 2d Infantry
Division.
Place and date: Near Krinkelter Wald, Belgium, 17 December 1944.
Entered service at: Wichita, Kans.
Birth: Lincoln, Nebr.
G.O. No.: 48, 23 June 1945. |
Citation: He was a
heavy machinegunner in a section attached to Company I in the vicinity
of Krinkelter Wald, Belgium, 17 December 1944, when that company was
attacked by a numerically superior force of German infantry and tanks.
The first 6 waves of hostile infantrymen were repulsed with heavy
casualties, but a seventh drive with tanks killed or wounded all but 3
of his section, leaving Pvt. Cowan to man his gun, supported by only 15
to 20 riflemen of Company I. He maintained his position, holding off
the Germans until the rest of the shattered force had set up a new line
along a firebreak. Then, unaided, he moved his machinegun and
ammunition to the second position. At the approach of a Royal Tiger
tank, he held his fire until about 80 enemy infantrymen supporting the
tank appeared at a distance of about 150 yards. His first burst killed
or wounded about half of these infantrymen. His position was rocked by
an 88-mm. shell when the tank opened fire, but he continued to man his
gun, pouring deadly fire into the Germans when they again advanced. He
was barely missed by another shell. Fire from three machineguns and
innumerable small arms struck all about him; an enemy rocket shook him
badly, but did not drive him from his gun. Infiltration by the enemy
had by this time made the position untenable, and the order was given
to withdraw. Pvt. Cowan was the last man to leave, voluntarily covering
the withdrawal of his remaining comrades. His heroic actions were
entirely responsible for allowing the remaining men to retire
successfully from the scene of their last-ditch stand.
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