Grave of Private William D. McGee, recipient of the Medal of Honor at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in Luxembourg, Luxembourg
William D. McGee (1923 - March 19, 1945) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration - the Medal of Honor - for his actions in World War II. A medical aid man, he made a night crossing of the Moselle River with troops endeavoring to capture the town of Mulheim. The enemy had retreated in the sector where the assault boats landed, but had left the shore heavily strewn with antipersonnel mines. Two men of the first wave attempting to work their way forward detonated mines which wounded them seriously, leaving them bleeding and in great pain beyond the reach of their comrades. Entirely on his own initiative, Pvt. McGee entered the minefield, brought out 1 of the injured to comparative safety, and had returned to rescue the second victim when he stepped on a mine and was severely wounded in the resulting explosion. Although suffering intensely and bleeding profusely, he shouted orders that none of his comrades was to risk his life by entering the death-sown field to render first aid that might have saved his life. In making the supreme sacrifice, Pvt. demonstrated a concern for the well-being of his fellow soldiers that transcended all considerations for his own safety and a gallantry in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial, 50 Val du Scheid, 2517 Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Europe
Photo credit: © DE ROCKER / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., ..., 2, 20th-century, 304th, 76th, aid, america, american, army, battle, brave, bulge, cemetery, courageous, cross, der, detachment, division, europe, european, flag, germany, grass, grave, gravestone, graveyard, heart, hero, heroic, honor, ii, indiana, indianapolis, infantry, leadership, luxembourg, man, mcgee, medal, medical, memorial, military, mosel, mulheim, private, purple, pvt., regiment, soldier, star, states, stone, tomb, tombstone, united, usa, valiant, war, william, world, ww, ww2, wwii
