Emory Jenison Pike

He led scattered soldiers when wounded under enemy shellfire

Emory Jenison Pike was born in Columbus City, Iowa, on December 17, 1876. He entered West Point in 1897 and graduated in February 1901, receiving a commission in the Second Cavalry. His career included troop command, overseas garrison duty and professional military education before the First World War.

Pike served at Matanzas, Cuba, from April to December 1901. After duty at Fort Myer, Virginia, he went to the Philippines in 1904, serving at San Mateo and Camp Stotsenburg. He returned to the United States in 1906. As a lieutenant in the Fifteenth Cavalry, he again served in Cuba in 1907–1908, including troop command at Soledad.

Further assignments included Vermont, Kansas and the Mexican border in Texas. He was a distinguished graduate of the Army Service Schools in 1914. During the American mobilization for the First World War, he became a major in the National Army and joined the Eighty-second Division's machine-gun organization. He reached France in May 1918 and rose to lieutenant colonel.

On September 15, 1918, near Vandières during the St. Mihiel offensive, Pike went forward to examine machine-gun positions. Finding infantrymen scattered by artillery fire, he helped organize a defensive line. He initially gathered about twenty men, then worked with additional platoons to establish outposts.

When a shell wounded a soldier, Pike went to help. Another explosion seriously wounded him. He continued directing the men and encouraging them until the position could be held. He died the following day. His leadership under bombardment earned a posthumous Medal of Honor, announced in 1919.

Pike was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa. His service is remembered as an early part of the Eighty-second Division's history.

Medal of Honor citation

Having gone forward to reconnoiter new machine-gun positions, Lt. Col. Pike offered his assistance in reorganizing advanced infantry units which had become disorganized during a heavy artillery shelling. He succeeded in locating only about 20 men, but these he advanced and when later joined by several infantry platoons rendered inestimable service in establishing outposts, encouraging all by his cheeriness, in spite of the extreme danger of the situation. When a shell had wounded one of the men in the outpost, Lt. Col. Pike immediately went to his aid and was severely wounded himself when another shell burst in the same place. While waiting to be brought to the rear, Col. Pike continued in command, still retaining his jovial manner of encouragement, directing the reorganization until the position could be held. The entire operation was carried on under terrific bombardment, and the example of courage and devotion to duty, as set by Lt. Col. Pike, established the highest standard of morale and confidence to all under his charge. The wounds he received were the cause of his death.