Rank sergeant Awards Medal of Honor Education Cornell University | Died October 3, 1968 Name Alan Eggers | |
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Born November 2, 1895
Saranac Lake, New York ( 1895-11-02 ) Allegiance United States of America Place of burial Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, United States Similar People Benjamin Kaufman, George Price Hays, William Sawelson, Thomas C Neibaur, Arthur W Radford | ||
Service/branch United States Army | ||
Alan Louis Eggers (November 2, 1895 – October 3, 1968) was a sergeant in the United States Army during World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in combat near Le Catelet, France, on September 29, 1918, together with John C. Latham and Thomas E. O'Shea. Eggers was a student at Cornell University before departing for service. He was awarded the degree of "War Alumnus" in 1921.
Medal of Honor citation
Citation:
Becoming separated from their platoon by a smoke barrage, Sgt. Eggers, Sgt. John C. Latham and Cpl. Thomas E. O'Shea took cover in a shell hole well within the enemy's lines. Upon hearing a call for help from an American tank, which had become disabled 30 yards from them, the 3 soldiers left their shelter and started toward the tank, under heavy fire from German machine-guns and trench mortars. In crossing the fire-swept area Cpl. O'Shea was mortally wounded, but his companions, undeterred, proceeded to the tank, rescued a wounded officer, and assisted 2 wounded soldiers to cover in a sap of a nearby trench. Sgt. Eggers and Sgt. Latham then returned to the tank in the face of the violent fire, dismounted a Hotchkiss gun, and took it back to where the wounded men were, keeping off the enemy all day by effective use of the gun and later bringing it, with the wounded men, back to our lines under cover of darkness.