Eli L. Whiteley

Led house-to-house attacks despite severe wounds

Eli Lamar Whiteley was born in Florence, Texas, on 10 December 1913. During World War II he served as a first lieutenant in Company L, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.

On 27 December 1944, Whiteley led his platoon through house-to-house fighting at Sigolsheim, France. Wounded in the arm and shoulder, he entered one defended building alone, then used grenades to reach another, where he captured eleven enemy soldiers.

With his left arm disabled, he continued the advance. He blasted an opening in another building with a bazooka and entered carrying his submachine gun beneath his uninjured arm. Twelve more defenders surrendered. Wounded again, including an eye injury from a shell fragment, he continued directing his men until he was forcibly evacuated.

President Harry S. Truman presented Whiteley's Medal of Honor at the White House on 23 August 1945. Whiteley died in College Station, Texas, on 2 December 1986 and is buried in the city's cemetery. His citation honors the leadership that helped break enemy resistance despite repeated wounds.

Medal of Honor citation

While leading his platoon on 27 December 1944, in savage house-to-house fighting through the fortress town of Sigolsheim, France, he attacked a building through a street swept by withering mortar and automatic-weapon fire. He was hit and severely wounded in the arm and shoulder; but he charged into the house alone and killed its two defenders. Hurling smoke and fragmentation grenades before him, he reached the next house and stormed inside, killing two and capturing 11 of the enemy. He continued leading his platoon in the extremely dangerous task of clearing hostile troops from strongpoints along the street until he reached a building held by fanatical Nazi troops. Although suffering from wounds which had rendered his left arm useless, he advanced on this strongly defended house and, after blasting out a wall with bazooka fire, charged through a hail of bullets. Wedging his submachine gun under his uninjured arm, he rushed into the house through the hole torn by his rockets, killed five of the enemy, and forced the remaining 12 to surrender. As he emerged to continue his fearless attack, he was again hit and critically wounded. In agony and with one eye pierced by a shell fragment, he shouted for his men to follow him to the next house. He was determined to stay in the fighting and remained at the head of his platoon until forcibly evacuated. By his disregard for personal safety, his aggressiveness while suffering from severe wounds, his determined leadership and superb courage, 1st Lt. Whiteley killed nine Germans, captured 23 more, and spearheaded an attack which cracked the core of enemy resistance in a vital area.