Charles F. Carey Jr.

He rescued trapped soldiers and fought tanks at close range.

Charles F. Carey Jr. (23 December 1915 – 9 January 1945) was an Oklahoma-born U.S. Army technical sergeant in the 397th Infantry Regiment, 100th Infantry Division. He entered the Army at Cheyenne, Wyoming, and served in the antitank platoon of the regiment’s 2nd Battalion. His Medal of Honor action unfolded during the fighting in Alsace in January 1945, when German forces attacked the division’s positions at Rimling with infantry and tanks. Carey commanded an antitank platoon, but after his guns were lost he took direct action to help his battalion withstand the assault.

On 8 January, Carey organized a patrol that reached two threatened squads and evacuated their wounded. He then led another patrol toward a house whose defenders’ fire was stopping American movement. Under covering fire, he approached, killed two snipers, threw a grenade through the doorway, and entered alone. He emerged with 16 German prisoners. Information he obtained helped U.S. forces capture 41 more men in nearby houses. Carey next led a patrol against an enemy tank, coming within a few yards to damage it with a rocket. When the crew tried to escape the burning vehicle, he shot three and wounded a fourth.

The fight continued into 9 January. German infantry encircled a house where Carey had positioned a squad. Four soldiers were trapped in the attic; Carey propped an old staircase against the building and helped bring them out. Later, while attempting to reach an outpost, he was struck by sniper fire and killed. His Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously. Carey’s actions at Rimling combined small-unit leadership with repeated personal exposure to enemy fire: he rescued threatened men, captured defenders, attacked armour, and returned for isolated soldiers before making his final attempt to reach the outpost.

His posthumous Medal of Honor was announced in July 1945. He is buried at the Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium. His sons later presented his Medal of Honor for display at the Wyoming Military Department’s Joint Forces Readiness Center in Cheyenne in December 2010.

### Medal of Honor citation

> He was in command of an antitank platoon when about 200 enemy infantrymen and 12 tanks attacked his battalion, overrunning part of its position. After losing his guns, T/Sgt. Carey, acting entirely on his own initiative, organized a patrol and rescued 2 of his squads from a threatened sector, evacuating those who had been wounded. He organized a second patrol and advanced against an enemy-held house from which vicious fire issued, preventing the free movement of our troops. Covered by fire from his patrol, he approached the house, killed 2 snipers with his rifle, and threw a grenade in the door. He entered alone and a few minutes later emerged with 16 prisoners. Acting on information he furnished, the American forces were able to capture an additional 41 Germans in adjacent houses. He assembled another patrol, and, under covering fire, moved to within a few yards of an enemy tank and damaged it with a rocket. As the crew attempted to leave their burning vehicle, he calmly shot them with his rifle, killing 3 and wounding a fourth. Early in the morning of 9 January, German infantry moved into the western part of the town and encircled a house in which T/Sgt. Carey had previously posted a squad. Four of the group escaped to the attic. By maneuvering an old staircase against the building, T/Sgt. Carey was able to rescue these men. Later that day, when attempting to reach an outpost, he was struck down by sniper fire. The fearless and aggressive leadership of T/Sgt. Carey, his courage in the face of heavy fire from superior enemy forces, provided an inspiring example for his comrades and materially helped his battalion to withstand the German onslaught.