Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
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Vernon McGarity
United States Army 393rd Infantry
from:Memphis, TN
President Harry Truman awarded the Medal of Honor to Vernon McGarity in October 1945. According to the U.S. Army Center of Military History, Mr. McGarity was a technical sergeant in the 393rd Infantry, 99th Infantry Division, during World War II. He was wounded in an artillery barrage that preceded a German counteroffensive near Krinkelt, Belgium, in December 1944. He received treatment but refused to be evacuated and returned to battle.
He rescued two wounded soldiers, immobilized a tank with a round from a rocket launcher, replenished the unit's ammunition under heavy fire, and destroyed a German machine gun. Mr. McGarity received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and two Belgian medals in addition to the Medal of Honor.