Martin O. May

He held the ridge against repeated enemy assaults in battle.

Martin O. May was born on 18 April 1922 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. He served as a private first class with the 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division during the Second World War.

During the fighting for Iegusuku-Yama on Ie-shima in April 1945, May placed his heavy machine gun on an exposed ridge to support riflemen. He repelled counterattacks and volunteered to remain while other troops reorganized. On 21 April, he continued firing under intense pressure until a mortar burst wounded him and disabled the gun. He then resisted with grenades until he was mortally wounded. His stand helped maintain the American line.

May received the Medal of Honor posthumously. He is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Medal of Honor citation

He gallantly maintained a three-day stand in the face of terrible odds when American troops fought for possession of the rugged slopes of Iegusuku-Yama on Ie-shima, Ryukyu Islands. After placing his heavy machine gun in an advantageous yet vulnerable position on a ridge to support riflemen, he became the target of fierce mortar and small-arms fire from the counterattacking Japanese. He repulsed this assault by sweeping the enemy with accurate bursts while explosions and ricocheting bullets threw blinding dust and dirt about him. He broke up a second counterattack by hurling grenades into the midst of the enemy forces, and then refused to withdraw, volunteering to maintain his post and cover the movement of American riflemen as they reorganized to meet any further hostile action. The major effort of the enemy did not develop until the morning of 21 April. It found Pfc. May still supporting the rifle company in the face of devastating rifle, machine-gun, and mortar fire. While many of the friendly troops about him became casualties, he continued to fire his machine gun until he was severely wounded and his gun rendered useless by the burst of a mortar shell. Refusing to withdraw from the violent action, he blasted fanatical Japanese troops with hand grenades until wounded again, this time mortally. By his intrepidity and the extreme tenacity with which he held firm until death against overwhelming forces, Pfc. May killed at least 16 Japanese, was largely responsible for maintaining the American lines, and inspired his comrades to efforts which later resulted in complete victory and seizure of the mountain stronghold.