Lewis R. Hall (March 2, 1895 – January 10, 1943) was a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
—for his actions in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Biography
Hall joined the Army from
Obetz, Ohio
Obetz is a city located in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 5,489.
History
The community (originally Obetz Junction, in honor of settler Charles Obetz) was formed in 1838 as a stagecoa ...
, and by January 10, 1943, was serving as a
technician fifth grade
Technician fifth grade (abbreviated T/5 or Tec 5) was a rank of the United States Army from 1942 to 1948. The rank was created to recognize enlisted soldiers with special technical skills, but who were not trained as combat leaders.
History ...
in Company M,
35th Infantry Regiment,
25th Infantry Division. During a
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese attack on that day, at Mount Austen,
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...
, in the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
, he refused an order to withdraw after many men in his unit had been killed or wounded and, with fellow soldier Sergeant
William G. Fournier, stayed behind to man a
machine gun. Hall was killed at the gun, while Fournier was badly wounded and died three days later. Both men were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on June 5, 1943.
Hall, aged 47 at his death, was buried in Glen Rest Memorial Estate,
Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Reynoldsburg is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, Fairfield, Franklin County, Ohio, Franklin, and Licking County, Ohio, Licking counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a suburban community in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area. The population ...
.
Medal of Honor citation
Technician Fifth Grade Hall's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. As leader of a machinegun squad charged with the protection of other battalion units, his group was attacked by a superior number of Japanese, his gunner killed, his assistant gunner wounded, and an adjoining guncrew put out of action. Ordered to withdraw from his hazardous position, he refused to retire but rushed forward to the idle gun and with the aid of another soldier who joined him and held up the machinegun by the tripod to increase its field of action he opened fire and inflicted heavy casualties upon the enemy. While so engaged both these gallant soldiers were killed, but their sturdy defense was a decisive factor in the following success of the attacking battalion.
See also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. Recipients must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their own ...
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
This is a list of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II. The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recip ...
References
:
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Lewis
1895 births
1943 deaths
United States Army personnel killed in World War II
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
People from Franklin County, Ohio
United States Army non-commissioned officers
World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor