Calvin John Ward

Silenced German machine-gun nest near Estrées in World War I

Calvin John Ward earned the Medal of Honor for an assault near Estrées, France, on 8 October 1918. A private in Company D, 117th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, he advanced with Sergeant James Ernest Karnes against a German machine-gun emplacement that had halted the company. They overcame the position, killing three enemy soldiers and capturing seven others and their weapons.

Born on 30 October 1899 in Greene County, Tennessee, Ward enlisted in the Tennessee National Guard on 14 July 1917 and was assigned to Company D, 3rd Tennessee Infantry. His regiment became part of the 30th Division. The division served under British command in France and Belgium, including Ypres-Lys and Somme operations. The action near Estrées belonged to the Somme operational area.

Ward held the rank of private during his Medal of Honor action; his highest recorded rank was private first class. His Army service number was 1307698. The award was authorized by War Department General Orders No. 16, dated 22 January 1919.

Official Medal of Honor citation

“During an advance, Pvt. Ward's company was held up by a machine gun, which was enfilading the line. Accompanied by a noncommissioned officer, he advanced against this post and succeeded in reducing the nest by killing three and capturing seven of the enemy and their guns.”

Ward survived the war and later reenlisted in the Army. He died in Morristown, Tennessee, on 15 December 1967, aged 68, and was buried at Glenwood Cemetery in Bristol, Tennessee, Section 2, grave 88. His Medal of Honor commemorates the assault that enabled his company's advance.