Patrick L. Kessler

He attacked two strongpoints and took the defenders captive.

Patrick Lester Kessler was born at Middletown, Ohio, on 17 March 1922. He joined the United States Army in September 1942 and went overseas as an infantryman. By May 1944 he was a private first class in Company K, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.

On 23 May, near Ponte Rotto during the breakout from the Anzio beachhead, machine-gun fire killed five men and halted his company's advance. Kessler organised a small covering party and crawled toward the gun. When discovered, he charged, killed its gunner and assistant and captured another member of the crew.

While taking the prisoner back, he saw more Americans fall in an attack on a second strongpoint. He handed over the captive, took a fallen soldier's Browning automatic rifle and advanced again. Fire from two machine guns and nearby shellbursts did not stop him. Crossing a minefield and closing on the position, he killed the gunners and captured thirteen defenders.

Two snipers opened fire as he brought the prisoners back. Kessler prevented an escape and then engaged and captured the snipers as well. His successive attacks removed the resistance blocking Company K and enabled it to take its objective.

He was killed in another action on 25 May, two days after the exploit. His Medal of Honor was announced on 4 January 1945. He was buried in Woodside Cemetery at Middletown, where his community commemorated the young infantryman. His decoration recognised a sequence of independent assaults undertaken to restart a company advance.

Official Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Kessler, acting without orders, raced 50 yards through a hail of machine-gun fire, which had killed five of his comrades and halted the advance of his company, in order to form an assault group to destroy the machine gun. Ordering three men to act as a base of fire, he left the cover of a ditch and snaked his way to a point within 50 yards of the enemy machine gun before he was discovered, whereupon he plunged headlong into the furious chain of automatic fire. Reaching a spot within six feet of the emplacement he stood over it and killed both the gunner and his assistant, jumped into the gun position, overpowered and captured a third German after a short struggle. The remaining member of the crew escaped, but Pfc. Kessler wounded him as he ran. While taking his prisoner to the rear, this soldier saw two of his comrades killed as they assaulted an enemy strongpoint, fire from which had already killed 10 men in the company. Turning his prisoner over to another man, Pfc. Kessler crawled 35 yards to the side of one of the casualties, relieved him of his BAR and ammunition, and continued on toward the strongpoint, 125 yards distant. Although two machine guns concentrated their fire directly on him and shells exploded within 10 yards, bowling him over, Pfc. Kessler crawled 75 yards, passing through an antipersonnel minefield to a point within 50 yards of the enemy and engaged the machine guns in a duel. When an artillery shell burst within a few feet of him, he left the cover of the ditch and advanced upon the position in a slow walk, firing his BAR from the hip. Although the enemy poured heavy machine-gun and small-arms fire at him, Pfc. Kessler succeeded in reaching the edge of their position, killed the gunners, and captured 13 Germans. Then, despite continuous shelling, he started to the rear. After going 25 yards, Pfc. Kessler was fired upon by two snipers only 100 yards away. Several of his prisoners took advantage of this opportunity and attempted to escape; however, Pfc. Kessler hit the ground, fired on either flank of his prisoners, forcing them to cover, and then engaged the two snipers in a firefight and captured them. With this last threat removed, Company K continued its advance, capturing its objective without further opposition. Pfc. Kessler was killed in a subsequent action.