Freeman V. Horner

Infobox Military Person
name=Freeman Victor Horner
born=birth date|1922|6|7
died=death date and age|2005|12|1|1922|6|7
placeofbirth=Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania
placeofdeath=
placeofburial= Arlington National Cemetery


caption=
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch=United States Army
serviceyears=
rank=Major
commands=
unit=119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division
battles=World War II Korean War
awards=Medal of Honor
relations=
laterwork=

Freeman Victor Horner (June 7, 1922 – December 1, 2005) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.

Horner joined the Army from Shamokin, Pennsylvania, and by November 16, 1944 was serving as a Staff Sergeant in Company K, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division. On that day, in Würselen, Germany, he single-handedly attacked three German machine gun positions and killed or captured the soldiers manning them. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor a year later, on October 30, 1945.

Horner reached the commissioned officer rank of major and served in the Korean War before leaving the Army. He died at age 83 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia.

Medal of Honor citation

Horner's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

S/Sgt. Horner and other members of his company were attacking Wurselen, Germany, against stubborn resistance on 16 November 1944, when machinegun fire from houses on the edge of the town pinned the attackers in flat, open terrain 100 yards from their objective. As they lay in the field, enemy artillery observers directed fire upon them, causing serious casualties. Realizing that the machineguns must be eliminated in order to permit the company to advance from its precarious position, S/Sgt. Horner voluntarily stood up with his submachine gun and rushed into the teeth of concentrated fire, burdened by a heavy load of ammunition and hand grenades. Just as he reached a position of seeming safety, he was fired on by a machinegun which had remained silent up until that time. He coolly wheeled in his fully exposed position while bullets barely missed him and killed 2 hostile gunners with a single, devastating burst. He turned to face the fire of the other 2 machineguns, and dodging fire as he ran, charged the 2 positions 50 yards away. Demoralized by their inability to hit the intrepid infantryman, the enemy abandoned their guns and took cover in the cellar of the house they occupied. S/Sgt. Horner burst into the building, hurled 2 grenades down the cellar stairs, and called for the Germans to surrender. Four men gave up to him. By his extraordinary courage, S/Sgt. Horner destroyed 3 enemy machinegun positions, killed or captured 7 enemy, and cleared the path for his company's successful assault on Wurselen.

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II

References

*findagrave|12653211 Retrieved on 2008-01-30

*cite web
publisher = U.S. Army Center of Military History
title = Medal of Honor Recipients - World War II (G-L)
work = Medal of Honor Citations
date = July 16, 2007
url = http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/wwII-g-l.html
accessdate = 2008-01-30

Persondata
NAME= Horner, Freeman V.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH= June 7, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH= Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH= December 1, 2005
PLACE OF DEATH=