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Born: June 13, 1921 at
Roy, WA
Entered Service in the US
Army from Redwood City, CA
Earned
The Medal of Honor During World War II For heroism October 09,
1944 at La Forge, France
Died: December
31, 1944 at the age of 23
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First
Lieutenant Kandle, while leading a reconnaissance patrol into
enemy territory, engaged in a duel at pointblank range with a
German field officer and killed him. Having already taken five
enemy prisoners that morning, he led a skeleton platoon of 16
men, reinforced with a light machinegun squad, through fog and
over precipitous mountain terrain to fall on the rear of a
German quarry stronghold which had checked the advance of an
infantry battalion for two days. Rushing forward, several yards
ahead of his assault elements, First Lieutenant Kandle fought
his way into the heart of the enemy strongpoint, and, by his
boldness and audacity, forced the Germans to surrender. Harassed
by machinegun fire from a position which he had bypassed in the
dense fog, he moved to within 15 yards of the enemy, killed a
German machinegunner with accurate rifle fire and led his men in
the destruction of another machinegun crew and its rifle
security elements. Finally, he led his small force against a
fortified house held by two German officers and 30 enlisted men.
After establishing a base of fire, he rushed forward alone
through an open clearing in full view of the enemy, smashed
through a barricaded door, and forced all 32 Germans to
surrender.
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