World War II
Dirk J. Vlug
Private First Class · U.S. Army
U.S. Army, 126th Infantry, 32d Infantry Division
15 December 1944 · Limon, Leyte, Philippine Islands
CC BY-SA 4.0. Wuffer84 Source file
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Era
- World War II
- Home state
- Michigan
- Action
- Limon, Leyte, Philippine Islands
The citation
Official citation
He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty when an American roadblock on the Ormoc Road was attacked by a group of enemy tanks. He left his covered position, and with a rocket launcher and 6 rounds of ammunition, advanced alone under intense machinegun and 37-mm. fire. Loading single-handedly, he destroyed the first tank, killing its occupants with a single round. As the crew of the second tank started to dismount and attack him, he killed 1 of the foe with his pistol, forcing the survivors to return to their vehicle, which he then destroyed with a second round. Three more hostile tanks moved up the road, so he flanked the first and eliminated it, and then, despite a hail of enemy fire, pressed forward again to destroy another. With his last round of ammunition he struck the remaining vehicle, causing it to crash down a steep embankment. Through his sustained heroism in the face of superior forces, Private First Class Vlug alone destroyed 5 enemy tanks and greatly facilitated successful accomplishment of his battalion's mission.
Sources
- U.S. Army Medal of Honor citation index
- Wikipedia. Linked only. The article text is not copied here.