Frank P. Witek

An ambush broken as a Marine shields his wounded men on Guam

Frank Peter Witek was born in Derby, Connecticut, on 10 December 1921. His family moved to Chicago during his childhood. After attending Crane Technical High School, he worked for the Standard Transformer Company before enlisting in the Marine Corps on 20 January 1942.

Following recruit training, Witek went to the Pacific. He served in New Zealand and fought on Bougainville before taking part in the invasion of Guam in July 1944. He was a private first class, automatic rifleman and scout in the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division.

On 3 August 1944, during the battle of Finegayen, he fired into concealed Japanese positions to give his platoon time to find cover. He then stayed with a severely wounded Marine, protecting him until stretcher bearers arrived and covering their withdrawal. When a machine gun again blocked the advance, Witek moved forward with grenades and automatic fire and destroyed the emplacement. He was killed by a Japanese rifleman during the attack.

Witek was twenty-two. His mother received his posthumous Medal of Honor at Soldier Field in Chicago on 20 May 1945. Initially buried on Guam, his remains were returned in 1949 and reinterred at Rock Island National Cemetery in Illinois.

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division, during the battle of Finegayen at Guam, Marianas, on 3 August 1944. When his rifle platoon was halted by heavy surprise fire from well-camouflaged enemy positions, Pfc. Witek daringly remained standing to fire a full magazine from his automatic at point-blank range into a depression housing Japanese troops, killing eight of the enemy and enabling the greater part of his platoon to take cover. During his platoon's withdrawal for consolidation of lines, he remained to safeguard a severely wounded comrade, courageously returning the enemy's fire until the arrival of stretcher bearers and then covering the evacuation by sustained fire as he moved backward toward his own lines. With his platoon again pinned down by a hostile machine gun, Pfc. Witek, on his own initiative, moved forward boldly to the reinforcing tanks and infantry, alternately throwing hand grenades and firing as he advanced to within 5 to 10 yards of the enemy position, and destroying the hostile machine-gun emplacement and an additional eight Japanese before he himself was struck down by an enemy rifleman. His valiant and inspiring action effectively reduced the enemy's firepower, thereby enabling his platoon to attain its objective, and reflects the highest credit upon Pfc. Witek and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.