William R. Jecelin

Infobox Military Person
name= William R. Jecelin
born=
died= death date|1950|9|19
placeofbirth= Baltimore, Maryland
placeofdeath= Near Saga, Korea
placeofburial=


caption= Medal of Honor recipient
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Army
serviceyears= -1950
rank= Sergeant
unit=Company C, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division
battles= Korean War
awards= Medal of Honor Purple Heart

William R. Jecelin was a soldier in the United States Army during the Korean War. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on September 19, 1950.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division

Place and date: Near Saga, Korea, 19 September 1950

Entered service at: Baltimore, Md. Birth: Baltimore, Md.

G.O. No.: 24, 25 April 1951

Citation:

:Sgt. Jecelin, Company C, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and Intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. His company was ordered to secure a prominent, sawtoothed ridge from a well-entrenched and heavily armed enemy. Unable to capture the objective in the first attempt, a frontal and flanking assault was launched. He led his platoon through heavy enemy fire and bursting shells, across ricefields and rocky terrain, in direct frontal attack on the ridge in order to draw fire away from the flanks. The unit advanced to the base of the cliff, where intense, accurate hostile fire stopped the attack. Realizing that an assault was the only solution, Sgt. Jecelin rose from his position firing his rifle and throwing grenades as he called on his men to follow him. Despite the intense enemy fire this attack carried to the crest of the ridge where the men were forced to take cover. Again he rallied his men and stormed the enemy strongpoint. With fixed bayonets they charged into the face of antitank fire and engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. After clubbing and slashing this force into submission the platoon was forced to take cover from direct frontal fire of a self-propelled gun. Refusing to be stopped he leaped to his feet and through sheer personal courage and fierce determination led his men in a new attack. At this instant a well-camouflaged enemy soldier threw a grenade at the remaining members of the platoon. He immediately lunged and covered the grenade with his body, absorbing the full force of the explosion to save those around him. This incredible courage and willingness to sacrifice himself for his comrades so imbued them with fury that they completely eliminated the enemy force. Sgt. Jecelin's heroic leadership and outstanding gallantry reflect the highest credit upon himself and uphold the esteemed traditions of the military service.cite web
accessdate=2007-12-31
url = http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/koreanwar.html
title = "WILLIAM R. JECELIN" entry
work = Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War
date = July 16, 2007
publisher= CMH, U.S. Army]

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Korean War Medal of Honor recipients

Notes

References

*cite web
accessdate=2007-12-31
url = http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/koreanwar.html
title = "WILLIAM R. JECELIN" entry
work = Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War
date = July 16, 2007
publisher= Center of Military History (CMH), United States Army

Persondata
NAME= Jecelin, William R.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=