- Earle Davis Gregory
Infobox Military Person
name= Earle Davis Gregory
born= birth date|1897|10|18
died= death date and age|1972|1|6|1897|10|18
placeofbirth= Clayville,Virginia
placeofdeath=Tuscaloosa, Alabama
placeofburial=
caption=
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch=United States Army
serviceyears=
rank= Sergeant
commands=
unit= Headquarters Company, 116th Infantry,U.S. 29th Infantry Division , U.S. Army National Guard
battles=World War I *Meuse-Argonne Offensive , France
awards=Medal of Honor (1918)
laterwork=Earle Davis Gregory (October 18, 1897—January 6, 1972) was a World War I
Medal of Honor recipient for his heroic actions in 1918 during theMeuse-Argonne Offensive in France.Biography
Davis was born in Clayville,
Virginia on October 18, 1897. He was a 1923 graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI), a member of the VPI Corps of Cadets.He was a native of
Chase City, Virginia and graduate ofFork Union Military Academy . Earle Gregory enteredVirginia Polytechnic Institute in 1919 with the Class of 1923. While at VPI, he studiedElectrical Engineering . During his senior year, he served as a company commander and President of the Corps of Cadets. He was voted Most Popular Cadet by his peers during his senor year.He enlisted at
Chase City, Virginia in the U.S. Army during World War I. Earle Gregory received theMedal of Honor for actions as a U.S. Army sergeant during theMeuse-Argonne Offensive in World War I. He is considered to be the firstVirginia n to receive the medal and often called theSergeant York of Virginia. On October 8, 1918, Sgt Earl D. Gregory atBois-de-Consenvoye , north ofVerdun ,France , seized a rifle and trench-mortar shell, which he used as a handgrenade. Shouting "I will get them", he left his detachment of the trench-mortar platoon, and advancing ahead of the infantry, captured a machinegun and 3 of the enemy. Advancing still farther from the machinegun nest, he captured a 7.5-centimeter mountain howitzer and, entering a dugout in the immediate vicinity, single-handedly captured 19 of the enemy. For this act he received theMedal of Honor .Major General
Omar Bundy presented Gregory his medal in a ceremony atCamp Lee ,Virginia on April 29, 1919. He was also awarded theCroix de Guerre , Medal of theLegion of Honor ,Medaille Militaire , and theMontengrin Order of Merit for his actions during theMeuse-Argonne Offensive .The Virginia Tech precision military marching unit, The Gregory Guard, was named in honor of Sgt Gregory on May 1963.
On January 6, 1972, Gregory died at his home in
Tuscaloosa, Alabama . He is buried at the Tuscaloosa Memorial Park.Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Headquarters Company, 116th Infantry, 29th Division. Place and date: At Bois-de-Consenvoye, north of Verdun, France, October 8, 1918. Entered service at: Chase City, Va. Birth: Chase City, Va. G.O. No.: 34, W.D., 1919.
Citation:
:With the remark "I will get them," Sgt. Gregory seized a rifle and a trench-mortar shell, which he used as a handgrenade, left his detachment of the trench-mortar platoon, and advancing ahead of the infantry, captured a machinegun and 3 of the enemy. Advancing still farther from the machinegun nest, he captured a 7.5-centimeter mountain howitzer and, entering a dugout in the immediate vicinity, single-handedly captured 19 of the enemy.
ee also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War I References
* [http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/worldwari.html U.S. Army listing]
* [http://spec.lib.vt.edu/archives/databook/text/chap2/2_11.htm Virginia Tech Historical Databook]
* [http://29thinfantrydivision.com/history/1917-1919.html 29th Division History]
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