Harold I. Johnston

Swam the Meuse under enemy fire to gather vital information.

Harold Irving Johnston served in Company A, 356th Infantry, 89th Division. Near Pouilly, France, on November 9, 1918, he and another soldier volunteered to swim across the Meuse River to locate enemy positions. He reached the opposite bank despite enemy resistance, gathered information and struggled back across the river to deliver his report.

A private first class at the time of the action, Johnston received the Medal of Honor from General John J. Pershing in France in February 1919. Born in Kansas on March 9, 1892, he died in Denver on August 28, 1949, and was buried at Fairmount Cemetery there.

Medal of Honor citation

When information was desired as to the enemy's position on the opposite side of the Meuse River, Sgt. Johnston, with another soldier, volunteered without hesitation and swam the river to reconnoiter the exact location of the enemy. He succeeded in reaching the opposite bank, despite the evident determination of the enemy to prevent a crossing. Having obtained his information, he again entered the water for his return. This was accomplished after a severe struggle which so exhausted him that he had to be assisted from the water, after which he rendered his report of the exploit.